Fish'n you were here

Time for another smARTworks Designer Challenge - this time featuring the Swimmin' set. After playing around with it a bit, I ended up using the fishbowl image and then coating the water portion with gem-tac (I was originally going to use glossy accents, but in this case wanted something a bit cloudier as opposed to the clear shine) Anyway, I then trimmed it out and layered it with some paper I stamped with the Accents #1 set; I pulled my blo-pens out of deep storage to add the orange splatters :)

So would you like to see more? Hop over to Susan's blog for a peek at what the other cookies did, plus a chance to win a set for yourself!

Vintage-y Love

First off, I have to share a little story about this image. I've gotten to the point where I avoid purchasing wood-mounted stamps, simply because I don't want to store 'em. Guess I'm a bit of a snob now? :) Well, last month I went to Tuesday Morning to purchase a gift - and I just happened to go down their crafty aisle. They generally have a nice variety of items, but they're just not my style (or I already have it - sheesh!). Well, they had a small stack of Inkadinkado stamps for 99¢ each - and I ended up purchasing THREE. But seriously, who could resist this adorable couple?! I love the comfortable companionship that their pose conveys, and I decided to keep the card pretty simple so as not to detract from that. I colored them in with prismacolor pencils, then added a grungeboard flourish, prima flower (stamped and inked up), and a big epoxy brad with the word "loved." Definitely sweet.

Spreading some love

A quick little project to share today. The hearts are Hero Arts (pieced with BasicGrey cupcake papers), and the layout is super simple. After assembling the card it looked a bit plain, so I added a few staples around the heart panel, and then two tiny red gems by the sentiment (from Unity). Fun and cute - perfect for a friend!

Valentine Kitty

Valentine's Day is right around the corner, and I used the CardPatterns sketch to make this cute little card. I stamped the kitty (from Barrow Buds) and then paper pieced it with BasicGrey Sugared papers. I punched a strip with a Martha Stewart scallop border punch along the top and bottom, and then used my Coluzzle to cut both the main panel and the layers. I pulled out the Combo Sentiments set to add "for you" down in the corner - perfect!

Bookworm Cutie

I was able to go away this past weekend for a scrapbooking retreat - except I was the rebel of the bunch who didn't make a single layout, but instead cranked out cards :) I had purchased this adorable image, along with the coordinating sentiment, from Stamping Bella last year. I've been itching to play along with the BasicGrey challenges, so worked with the sketch. I used Euphoria papers so that I could play along with the Daring Cardmakers Amethyst challenge - they're offering up a fabulous prize from Craft Obsessions this time around!

I colored the main image with prismacolor pencils, and then played around with the different patterned papers and embellishments - ended up going with a grungeboard flourish, a few flowers, and a couple gems (which are rich & sparkly IRL)... I love to give books as gifts, so I'm all set for the next occasion!

Bird-Day Wishes

I sat down this morning with the Mojo Monday sketch and the Feathered Friends set. I then proceeded to waste a good amount of time - and materials - trying to come up with a card... just not feelin' it today, I guess. Anyway, I was finally able to come up with this cutie. Don't you love that scalloped circle piece? I love that it's only 1 layer! Yep, that circle is also part of the stamp set, and it's a great building block. I punched it with the Marvy scalloped circle Marvy (pink one - can never remember whether it's mego or jumbo), and broke up the sentiment with the help of my trusty stamp-a-ma-jig. The bird portion was colored with prismacolor pencils, and the hat is topped with a bit of purple stickles just for fun. The card base is a printed card base (DCWV).

A bit of enabling: this stamp set is one of the full sheets o' rubber available from smARTworks, which means that it's 25% off this month. You're welcome ;)

Glittery {heart} Day

Can't believe it's February already! And a new month means it's time for a new smART-word: glitter! You can see some great examples (and get details about playing along) here. Also, smARTworks is back up and running! Get caught up on the news here.

For my card, I started with a dictionary I picked up from the Dollar Store. I ripped out the page that included "love," then masked off that entry and painted over the remainder with white acrylic. I used the words from Combo Sentiments, and grabbed a punched heart that's been floating around in my scrap box. A coating of ruby red stickles definitely added some punch!

On a funny note, when I was looking at the photo, I suddenly started cracking up and my daughter came running in to see what was so funny... somehow I couldn't bring myself to explain that I was laughing at the word "booty" on my Valentine's card. I'm thinking that a bit more white paint may be needed before this gets mailed out :)