CLP DT: CLP #33 Sketch Challenge

Hello hello! It's (already!) February 1st and time for another Crafting Life's Pieces Sketch Challenge. Yay! Chelsea has made another gorgeous sketch and the design team of offering up fabulous samples for inspiration I love working with these talented ladies! Please be sure to check them out HERE. :)

Oh, how I love this card! Hmm... can I say that? I will be honest and tell you part of my love is Spite Love. The Husband is a little creeped out by the caged heart. Heh. All the more for me to love, my dear! *ahem*

Now, back to sanity... I used My Mind's Eye Laundry Line papers for the layers.  The edges were inked with Ranger Walnut Stain using the handy... handle tool. I got over my initial fear of using it and am now can't live without it. I'm dying to get one of those chrome spinny tool holders and load up on tools so I can have one color per tool. But I digress...

The fabric flower is Prima with an added pearl center, and the orchid is a Magnolia flower. The roses and rose buds are from The Beary Scrap. You can only see a little of the gem branch in this photo, but I have a story to tell about it. I originally bought a 6' clear garland at a Big Box Craft Store and cut all the little branches off at the main base. Whenever I need a gem branch I color it with Copics (or other alcohol ink) to match the project. Cool, huh? Especially when I used a 40% off coupon - made it $6 and I have a TON of branches!

The heart was a true labor of love. It's made of a Grungeboard die cut and originally painted with Worn Lipstick Distress Crackle Paint. Once dried, I decided it needed to be shinier and covered it with Glossy Accents. Of course, I forgot Glossy Accents tends to change some colors, and the pinky heart turned into an orangey heart. Blech. I flipped it over and started again - more Worn Lipstick and another day to dry. This time I used a thin layer of Rock Candy Stickles on top to give it a bit of shine. Perfect! 

This delicious cage is cut from Grungepaper using a Tim Holtz die. I painted the cage with pearl Lumiere acrylic paint and it turned out too silvery. I then took a blob of Lumiere Halo Pink Gold on a makeup wedge and dabbed here and there on the cage. Once that dried I decided it needed more... I used a Prima music stamp with Archival ink in Russet on the cage. Phew! I'm done!

Challenges, Please

• Simon Says Stamp and Show (2/5) - Show Some Love
• Simon Says Stamp (2/9) - Love Is In The Air
• Charisma Cardz #4 (2/2) - Valentines/Love
• PaperPlay #4 (2/2) - Layer it up!
• Papertake Weekly (2/7) -  Anything Goes + Flower
• City Crafter #42 (2/7) - Love Is All You Need - Use a heart or the word "love"
• Crazy 4 Challenges #72 (2/4) - Vintage or shabby chic
• Bunny Zoe #8 (2/14) - Love is in the air

To get you started, here is Chelsea's beautiful CLP Challenge sketch. I hope you can use it and join our challenge!

This month we're sponsored by Chelsea's own Gurlee Girl shop. You could win a $20 gift card!

Come join us!

Cheers,
Susan

Chelsea Has New Gurlee Girl Blog Candy

My dear friend Chelsea's art is delightful, and I am so tickled she  has new Gurlee Girls in her shop. Oh, how I love these sweet little girls! Of course, there's also blog candy: Now through December 6th you can enter your name to win all three of these lovely ladies. Can you believe it?!

You can see Chelsea's beautiful samples at these links:

• Cammy with Gifts (oh man do I love this one!) is HERE
• Christmas Angel Avie (the wings! ::swoon::) is HERE
• Lexi Praying (that sweet little face - oh my!) is HERE

Be sure to head on over to the shop and check out all the beautiful Gurlee Girls!

Cheers,

Susan

CLP #31 Sketch

Please scroll down for my Beary Scrap Challenge #13! I will announcee my Inking Pink Blog Hop winner tomorrow - thanks so much for hopping along with us!

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It's November 1st and time for another Crafting Life's Pieces Sketch Challenge! Yay! We have another gorgeous sketch and fabulous samples from the design team. I love working with these talented ladies! Please be sure to check them out HERE. :)

 I used the delightful Puppy Post - isn't he the cutest little guy? the papers are Bazzill solids and Basic Gray Wassail. I received the stamp digitally (they are unmounted rubber stamps in the store) and printed on the new Copic X-Press. I'll write more in it another time, but just know that I LOVE it with my Prismacolor pencils and OMS. Oh yea, it works with Copics, too. Haha!

He is layered - #1 is the full image, #2 is the post box (to give it a rounded effect) and the puppy, and layer #3 is the ears and letter. I used silicone glue in between the layers. 

And here is Chelsea's beautiful CLP Challenge sketch. I hope you can use it and join our challenge!

 

This month we're sponsored by Lili of the Valley, a UK Company which has a simply gorgeous range of unique un-mounted rubber stamps. The winner will be getting a £10 gift voucher to spend at Lili of the Valley.

Come join us!

Cheers,
Susan

CLP DT: #30 Halloween

Hello hello! So happy to see another month roll around... er, that doesn't sound right, 'specially since time flies faster the older I get. Let's rephrase that, shall we?

Hello hello! So happy to show you another CLP challenge. The first of the month is always exciting, and this one even more so since we have a  fabby challenge sponsor: Spesch Designer Stamps! It was wayyy cool to play with the new release - I used the Halloween girl digi created by Max. Thanks, Tracey, for letting us play with your adorable images!

Isn't she delicious? (Haha, if I do say so myself...) I love her so much it's almost painful. Really! The colors on the Bo Bunny and 7 Gypsies papers are a perfect foil for her wild pumpkin skirt. The layering turned out well - next time I use her I'll add another hat layer. I do love my layers!

Here is Chelsea's gorgeous sketch. Doesn't it get your creative juices flowing?

So, how can you play along? Use Chelsea's CLP #30 sketch for your project and upload it HERE by October 31st. You could win 4 digital images from Spesch Designer Stamps!

Challenges, Please

• Practical Scrappers (10/1): Use a stamp
• Fashionista Friday #49 (10/7): Orange

Card Recipe

• Stamp: Halloween Digital Stamp by Max at Spesch Digital Stamps
• Paper: Bazzill Basics black; Bo Bunny's "Mama-Razzi"; 7 Gypsies "Nottinghill"; My Mind's Eye Night Light "Halloween Wishes"
• Medium: Prismacolor pencils with OMS; Copic for skin; Stickles Star Dust, Diamond; Colorbox Fluid Chalk Charcoal
• Embellishments: Prima corner pearls; American Crafts "Eek" ribbon; May Arts black webbing ribbon from the FABULOUS Patricia - thanks sweetie!; Copper brads from stash

See you there!

Cheers,
Susan

CLP #28 - Come Grow With Us!

Hello hello! Ooh, it's the first of the month and you know what that means, right? It's CLP sketch challenge time! I always get excited to work on my CLP project - I'm a Procrastinator Extraordinaire, so I don't usually start any deadline project until it's just about due. *wink* I honestly feel most creative under pressure. CLP sketches always get my juices flowing and I tend to try new things. Love it!

So this month many of the fabulous design team got to work with Chelsea's new Gurlee Girl Blossom Fairies stamps. OMG! I couldn't believe my eyeballs when I opened the mail and found ALL THREE beauties! Which one to use first? Oh, the choices! 

I'd love to introduce you to Blossom Fairy Avie as she tends her garden:

Isn't she beautiful? This photo definitely does not do her justice. I promise you it's bright and fun - she's a stunner in person! Make sure you bop on over to the CLP Challenge Blog and check out all the DT samples - you'll get a great view of the other Blossom Fairies. I'm already planning my next projects with them! (Heehee, but  I won't do anything until a day or two before they're due. *wink*)

Little Avie is three layers, all popped up on silicone. I can hear you asking... "What? Silicone?" Yep, silicone. I like it much better than my normal 1/8" foam dots and have been refining my technique for a little while now. Ooh! I do believe I feel a tutorial coming on. If you want details before I'm tutorially-inspired, shoot me a note and I'll give you the scoop (without photos). Otherwise, wait a week or two and I'll get it together right here on these pages. :)

So, back to my darling Avie and her garden. I purchased the Prima Vine from Gurlee Girl *ages* ago and haven't figured out the best use until now. I love the watering can detail and immediately thought of  this vine. I added 2 Prima flowers from a Symphony Blend to finish it off. (The big whopper leaf in the middle is coming off, though. Once I focused in on it, it's all I see now. Kinda funny, no?)

Challenges

• Paper Sundaes #29 (8/7) - In Stitches
• Bizzy Bec's Creatilicious #12 (8/14)  - 3D
• Simon Says Challenge (8/3) - Going Dotty
• Flutterby Wednesday #115 (8/3) - Open 
• Stamp and Create #3 (8/2) - Stitching
• Creative Cottage #19 (8/3) - Touchy Feely

Card Recipe

• Stamp - Gurlee Girl - blossom Fairy Avie
• Paper - Bazzill Basics; Cosmo Cricket "Early Bird" Mini Deck
• Medium - Prismacolor Pencils with OMS; Stickles Star Dust; Glossy Accents (on her lips)
• Embellishments - Prima Vine; Prima Symphony Blend flowers; velvet ribbon from stash; clear crystals from a garland found at a big box craft store that shall remain nameless; Scrabble tiles from a game found in Grandma's basement (thanks G-ma; sorry, Husband... was this yours growing up?); vintage crochet doily from an incredible flea market score
• Adhesives - Silicone glue; Scor-Tape; Fabri-Tac

 So, you wanna come play with us? Here's the CLP #28 fine print: Make a project with this fabby sketch, upload by 8/31 and link back to CLP in your blog post. How's that for easy? I hope to see you there!

Tomorrow I'll have a new Beary Sweet Challenge project for ya, and I'm over-the-moon excited to share a special-order Baptism card later in the week. It's so sweet!

Thanks for stopping in, and I hope you treat yourself well today.

Cheers,
Susan

CLP #27: July Sketch Challenge!

Hello friends! Here we are at another month - can you believe it? No one ever pressed that big "pause" button for me last month... in fact, I think June flew by faster than May! (Or is it just me getting older? *grin*)

This month the CLP Sketch Challenge #27 is sponsored by Sassy Studio Designs - check out all the sassiness here. This month's winner will have their choice of 4 Sassy Studio digital stamps!

Welp, Chelsea didn't disappoint on the July sketch (has she ever?!). This is another fabulous one! Way back, many moons ago our lovely Chels offered up a sketch with a similar curve to it. I was intimidated by the curve and hemmed and hawed over even trying it. I finally jumped in and gave it a whirl and boy was I pleased with myself! Not only did I conquer a fear, I did with a little bit 'o flair, too.  ::pause while I pat myself on the back:: *ahem*

Anyway, when I saw this sketch I *knew* I could ride that wave, so to speak.

... and the beautiful sketch:

I stayed pretty true to it, with the exception of the detail in the top left corner. That's always been my pleasure with sketches - staying close to the original design. Sometimes it's a challenge, and sometimes it just falls right into place. This card definitely fell into place easily!

I used Prima papers won as part of a CLP challenge in January... yes, I've been hoarding them! It's sort of poetic that they end up on a CLP DT card many months later, no? I definitely have embossing on the brain, and it spilled out onto this card. Three of the four visible layers were embossed on the Wizard with Cuttlebug folders. I can't believe I don't reach for these more often - I just love the textures!

I've set aside my Prismacolor pencils and experimented with distress inks once again. I'm really happy with this effort and will definitely continue as I build up my collection. I'm turning into a Tim Holtz junkie and now have a spreadsheet I can access on my phone with all the colors and types. This way I'll always know which pad/refill/stickles/crackle I have and can buy on the fly without repeats... It's a sickness, I tell ya!

Anyway, I've use a Dusty Attic music note die cut, painted white and then Stickle'd with Icicle. If you haven't discovered DA yet, go RIGHT AFTER you comment here and check 'em out. *grin*

Here's the full inside - I love the easel style card by don't really love the signature panel, so I tucked it behind the easel this time.

Now that I've loaded you up on photos, I'll bid adieu and wish each and every one of you a happy weekend. Here in the States it's Independence Day on the 4th. We're spending a long weekend with the in-laws in another state and will be on a boat in a lake watching fireworks. I'm excited! Safe travels to you all!

The CLP July Sketch Challenge runs from July 1 - July 31, and you can get all the wonderful details and enter your project here! Good luck, and can't wait to see your beauties!

Challenges

• Stampavie #101 (7/14)  - Sparkling (wings are covered in sparkly shiny Stickles Star Dust)
• Pile It On #25 (7/3) - Paper: Fold it, bake it, do something to it (I've embossed the heck out of it!)

Cheers,
Susan

CLP #26: June Sketch Challenge!

Hello hello! Can you believe it's June already? Wowzers, the year is flying by! Can someone press the pause button, please?

So with June 1 comes another fabulous sketch at the CLP Challenge Blog. Yay! I just lovelovelove Chelsea's sketches, don't you? This month is sponsored by the Digi Doodle Shop, and they very kindly let me use their Rooster image.

When I saw the rooster, I knew immediately that I wanted to use a paper pack from GCD Studios called Provence. "OH!", I thought to myself, "I can make a card in a French country theme with all the delicious papers in this poor, neglected pack."  

Mais, non. Il n'était pas possible. Les tendances étaient trop lumineux et en conflit avec le coq.

So I decided on Websters Pages paper and dug through the vintage embellishment bin and found bits and pieces that work. I still have a bit of French feel (er, ignore the tiny fact that the bingo card is from Springfield, Mass... 'k?) and the rooster pops on the card. Whoo hoo! Or is that cock-a-doodle-doo?

Sooo, as usual I've put the ol' Susan Spin on the sketch. Most importantly, I reinterpreted the background oval on each side of my main image. The right-side clock fills the round requirement easily, but the left side charm holder brad thingy is where the "spin" really occurs. It's round, ok? OK?! Heh, it's round and it's my spin... I crack me up! (Oh, and I promise you the raffia lace in the background is not crooked, even though it looks so in the photo.) 

Please take few minutes to visit the CLP Challenge Blog and see all the incredible samples from the Design Team. Y'know, I have to pinch myself each time I visit to prove that I'm not dreaming up my slot on the DT. They are such a wonderfully talented group of ladies!

The challenge runs through June 30 - I look forward to everyone's entries!


Other Fabby Challenges

• CLP #26: Sketch
• ABC Challenges (end 6/6)- V is for Vintage
• Creative Inspirations (ends 6/1)- Distressed
• Delightful Sketches (ends 6/9)- Texture
• Charisma Cardz #21 (ends 6/2)- Going 'Round In Circles
• Opus Gluei #57 (end 6/5)- I Can See Clearly Now
• Pixie Dust Studio #24 (ends 6/2)- Going Round and Round

Cheers,
Susan 

CLP #25 DT

Hello friends! Today is May 1st and time for the Crafting Life's Pieces monthly sketch challenge. If you've read my ramblings for a while you'll know I am a huge fan of Chelsea's sketches, and I'm very pleased to be on the inaugural Crafting Life's Pieces Design Team. Whoo hoo!

I've used one of Chelsea's Gurlee Girl stamps, called "Kisses Girl". Isn't she adorable?

I've used Basic Grey's Urban Prairie "Monarch" paper as embellishments on the front and inside - the butterflies are pretty cool! I painted them with Pearl Glimmer Mist - a very subtle effect that doesn't show up well here. That's what our imagination is for, right? *wink*

Here is Chelsea's wonderful sketch - please pop on over to the CLP Challenge Blog to see the other team member samples and play along!

Card Recipe

• Stamp  - Gurlee Girl "Kisses Girl"
• Paper - Bazzill; Basic Grey Urban Prairie collection - Monarch, Bountiful; Basic Grey Bittersweet "Mousse"
• Medium - Prismacolor pencils with OMS; Stickles; Glimmer Mist
• Embellishments - Prima rose; all others from stash

Challenges

• CLP #25 - Sketch
• Creative Card Crew #49 - April Showers Bring May Flowers
• Alota Rubber Stamps #34 - Flowers
• Charisma Cardz #17 - Girly Card with Flowers
• Creative Inspiration #58 - Easel Card 
• Paper Play #17 - Pretty Pastel
• Creatalious Challenge #9 - Flowers and Wings
•  Basic Grey #19 - Photo Inspiration (little girly doll, hearts, pink & blue)

Thanks so much for stopping in - you make my day!

Cheers,
Susan

CLP Design Team!

Hello friends! I'm very pleased to share with you my very special news: I made the CLP Challenge Design Team! *happy dance*

Together with 9 fantastically talented ladies, I will take Chelsea's beautiful monthly sketches and turn them into something that I hope will inspire you.

There's still time to participate in the CLP #24 challenge. Head on over to the CLP Challenge blog for all the details. :)

Mark your calendars - the CLP #25 starts next Friday, May 1, so please stop by to see the complete design team inspiration. See you there!

Cheers,

Susan