Fusion Card Challenge #7

Welcome to today’s Fusion Card Challenge!

Here is what we have for you today:

That little Kraft package is just so adorable!  But I struggled with this one, too.  And when I came within 10 minutes of finishing my final card, I ended up stamping the sentiment crooked.    Boo, hiss!  Then I had to turn the panel over and try it all again.  That is difficult to do when it is 10:30 p.m. and you’re tired and wanting to sleep.

Here is my creation, anyway:

I used a few neglected supplies for this card.  I’ve had my MFT Layered Rose die set for a while, still unused, until this project.  I thought they would create perfect coffee-filter flowers, based on those in the photo.  After assembling them, I also sprayed a little Frost shimmer spritz on them.

Also being used for the first time is my Memory Box Meadow Rue die, snipping off a few flower buds, though.  I used a new sentiment from my Winter Hills stamp set, and then added three little pearls.

I had a neighbor stop by on Saturday, asking for 2 last-minute Mother’s Day cards.  She saw this card and asked me to re-create it with a Mother’s Day sentiment for her.  She said she loved the design, which made me feel better, since I have really been doubting this creation ever since finishing it, for some reason.

Please stop by to see what the rest of the Fusion Design Team have created and to see the details for this challenge.  I hope you’ll participate with us!

Deanna Jean / Kelly Griglione / Amy Tsuruta / Kay Miller / Lyndal Higgins

Thanks for stopping by today.
-Ally

Supplies Used:
Stamps:  Winter Hills (PTI)
Paper/Cardstock:  Classic Kraft and Rustic White Cardstocks, Soft Stone Patterned Paper (PTI); Soft Suede (SU!)
Inks:  Dark Chocolate (PTI); White (Martha Stewart Crafts)
Embellishments:  Pearls (Recollections); Rustic Cream Button Twine (PTI); Frost Shimmer Spritz (Tsukineko); Misc White Brads
Tools:  Layered Rose Dies (MFT); Meadow Rue Die (Memory Box); Rounded Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers)

Fusion Card Challenge #6

Welcome to another Fusion Card Challenge!  I loved seeing all your creations with last week’s gorgeous colors and fun sketch.  We have a fantastic group of talented participants at the Fusion challenge.

Here is our challenge this week:

This one stumped me for a bit.  I am LDS, so I don’t have much to do with coffee or tea, or even teacups!  I don’t have one single teacup image in my stamp stash or my supplies.  Not even a sticker or decorative paper.  Zip, zilch, nada!

So, what I pulled from this photo was the repeated elements in different patterns and the bright, pretty color combo against the gray background.

Why I went with the ‘engagement’ theme, I have no idea.  It just seemed fitting for a bunch of hearts, I suppose.  It was either that or Valentine’s, and I don’t really need many Valentine cards, so I went with engagement congrats instead.

I used Basic Gray for the background, matted onto some True Black cardstock to frame it.  I used the Heart Die set by Sweet & Sassy stamps to cut all the hearts from various PTI patterned papers.  The layout comes directly from the product image at Sweet & Sassy stamps, which you can view HERE.  I simply arranged them exactly as they appear in that graphic,… um,… just because I thought it looked like a fun arrangement, honestly.

Each of the hearts are popped up on dimensional adhesive for some depth, and I scattered a few rhinestones around.  The sentiment lines are from PTI’s Congrats All Ways stamp set.

A little informal, as far as engagement cards go, I imagine.  But I think I could find a cute little modern couple or bride who might like this.

Please stop by to see what the rest of the Fusion Design Team have created and to see the details for this challenge.  I hope you’ll participate with us!

Deanna Jean / Kelly Griglione / Amy Tsuruta / Kay Miller / Lyndal Higgins

Thanks for stopping by today.
-Ally

Supplies Used:
Stamps:  Congrats All Ways (PTI)
Paper/Cardstock:  White Cardstock (Xpedx); True Black Cardstock, Patterned Papers (PTI); Basic Gray Cardstock (SU!)
Inks:  Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Embellishments:  Rhinestones (Recollections, Kaisercraft)
Tools:  Hearts Die Set (Sweet & Sassy Stamps)

10-Minute Craft Dash 17

Whew!!

I’m not sure this challenge is for me.  Or it could just be that I chose to do my project during the lunch hour.  With 3 children around.  Who are hungry and eating lunch.  And who keep needing refills on their drinks.  Maybe I just wasn’t prepared enough.  Maybe I should have eaten all my lunch first.

Whatever the reasons (all of the above, no doubt!), this 10-Minute Craft Dash challenge really made my adrenaline go crazy!

But I did finish it.
In a frantic pace.
With only seconds to spare.
But no sanity intact.
Just sayin’.

And here is what I can create in less than 10 minutes, including 2 breaks to refill lunch glasses with lemonade:

Thank goodness this Tulip Border folder makes for a quick decorative background frame!  That quickity-quick Vagabond machine really came in handy for this card, too.

I used one of my Lil’ Inker Stitched Mats Rectangle dies for the focal panel, sponging the edges with some Aqua Mist ink.  Used images from the Tremendous stamp set and a sentiment from the Beautiful Butterflies stamp set.  I stamped the dark flowers using Berry Sorbet ink and then ‘stamped-off’ to create the lighter-colored flowers.

Thanks for stopping by today.
-Ally

Challenge Photos:
Supplies Used:
Stamps:  Beautiful Butterflies (PTI); Tremendous (There She Goes)
Paper/Cardstock:  White Cardstock (Xpedx)
Inks:  Aqua Mist, Berry Sorbet, Classic Kraft, Dark Chocolate (PTI)
Embellishments:  Rhinestones (Recollections, Kaisercraft); Rustic Cream Button Twine
Tools:  Stitched Mats: Rectangle Die (Lil’ Inker); Tulip Border Embossing Folder (SU!)

And A Single

Well, I started with a triple, then a double, and now a single.  Any guesses on what the prospects are for tomorrow….??  LOL.

I recently bought a package of watercolor pencils, and I’ve been wanting to try them.  I had a little personal time while watching some college softball on TV Saturday, so I grabbed a few supplies to try a rudimentary water-colored panel.  The Retro Sketches #62 challenge looked like it would work for what I was creating, but I did flip the sketch 180.

Not too bad for a first attempt, I suppose.

The background is Smokey Shadow, though it looks pretty black here.  I’ve been on a Smokey Shadow kick lately.  I embossed that panel with the Wood Grain impression plate.  I stamped one of the Long Stem Silhouettes images onto the focal panel and then added some white embroidery floss and a banner with a Gracious Vases sentiment stamped onto it, also in the Smokey Shadow color.

Very clean and simple here today.

Thanks for stopping by today.
-Ally

Challenge Photos:

Supplies Used:
Stamps:  Long Stem Silhouettes (Sweet & Sassy Stamps); Gracious Vases (PTI)
Paper/Cardstock:  White Cardstock (Xpedx); Watercolor Paper (Strathmore); Smokey Shadow Cardstock (PTI)
Inks:  Tuxedo Black (Memento); Smokey Shadow (PTI); Watercolor Pencils (Sargent Art)
Embellishments:  White Embroidery Floss
Tools:  Wood Grain Impression Plate (PTI)

A Double

By keeping things simple, I was able to create two cards in my ‘spare’ moments on Friday.  This card today was created for the Color Throwdown #240 and Seize the Birthday #16 challenges.  I flipped the sketch upside down.

I wanted to use my neglected Big Wish stamp set by Verve, which has this lovely little cake image.  I used each of the specified colors on that one little image (though you might have to look closely to spot the apricot and limeade!) and then used a glitter pen to add a few strokes of sparkle to it – on the candle flames, the flourishes on the cake, and the flower petals.

The card base is Smokey Shadow, and I used Wisteria Wonder for a mat layer.  The top portion of the main white panel was embossed with PTI’s By The Number impression plate, and I tied a knot of Aqua Mist ribbon to hide the dividing line.  The sentiment is from Wplus9′s Embroidered Bouquet stamp set.

Thanks for stopping by today.
-Ally

Challenge Photos:
Supplies Used:
Stamps:  Embroidered Bouquet (Wplus9); Big Wish (Verve)
Paper/Cardstock:  Smokey Shadow Cardstock (PTI); Wisteria Wonder Cardstock (SU!); White Cardstock (Xpedx)
Inks:  Tuxedo Black (Memento); Wisteria Wonder (SU!); Copic Markers
Embellishments:  Rhinestones (Recollections, Kaisercraft); Glitter Pen; Stitched Ribbon (PTI)
Tools:   By The Numbers Impression Plate (PTI)

A Triple

It’s been a while since I’ve achieved a triple with one card.  I have really enjoyed the 2 design teams on which I’ve been included, but because of my schedule as a homeschooling parent, the responsibilities of those DT positions have had a weird way of dictating how my crafting time is spent – when to create a card, the parameters/confines of my projects, which blogs to comment on first, etc.  It has been fun and a blessing, it has also been a responsibility that doesn’t always leave me with much flexibility for how my crafting time is spent.

Not sure what I’m wanting to say!  Just going through change right now and trying to see where that leaves me.  Looking forward to a little more self-directed blog commenting as well as more self-directed projects, too, I guess.    I hope that doesn’t sound ungrateful of me!

Back to the topic, though.  This little card was created with 3 challenges in mind:
*  CAS-ual Fridays #100 (Tic-Tac-Toe Challenge).
*  ColourQ #187.
*  CAS(E) This Sketch #26.

I chose the top-right corner diagonal down to bottom-left corner on the CAS-ual Fridays board, using a birthday theme with bling and dies/punches.  I used two dies for this – the Piestra Tile die on some Midnight Muse cardstock, and the Faux Crochet Border die on some Pretty in Pink cardstock.  The butterfly is also from MFT Stamps, and the sentiment is by Papertrey Ink.  I spritzed the butterfly with some Sparkle shimmer spray and added the rhinestone flourish for the butterfly trail as my ‘bling.’

As you can see, I flipped the sketch 180 and took quite a bit of liberty with the rectangle panel and sentiment location.

Thanks for stopping by today.   I am hoping to get caught up on my ‘self-directed’ commenting soon, so hopefully you can expect to see me around more!
-Ally

Challenge Photos:
Supplies Used:
Stamps:  Inspired by Butterflies (MFT Stamps); Quilled Elegance (PTI)
Paper/Cardstock:  White Cardstock (Xpedx); Midnight Muse, Pretty in Pink Cardstocks (SU!)
Inks:  Tuxedo Black (Memento); Wisteria Wonder (SU!); Copic Markers
Embellishments:  Rhinestones (Recollections); Sparkle Spray (Tsukineko)
Tools:   Piestra Tile Die (Memory Box); Faux Crochet Border Die (MFT Stamps; Rounded Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers)

Fusion Card Challenge #5

Welcome to today’s Fusion Card Challenge!  I hope you’re having as much fun with these challenges as I am.  I sure love seeing all your amazing creations in the Gallery.

So here is what we have for you today:

Most of the last few cards on my blog were created the first week of April, so it’s been a few weeks since I’ve actually created anything new.  It always seems like pulling teeth to find some mojo after lapses in creativity!  But I finally came up with something that satisfied me.

Here is my creation, based on Lesley’s inspiration photo only:

I grabbed my trusty Simple Sunflower stamp set to create some yellow sunflowers to mimic those in the photo, with a few peeks of green leaves here and there.  I brought in the aqua color by using my new Boutique Borders: Birthday stamp set and a scrap of Aqua Mist ribbon.  I am sure you can spot my favorite lace along the bottom.   I spritzed the flowers with some Tsukineko Sparkle shimmer spray.

Speaking of my favorite lace, I stopped in at two different Wal-Mart stores on Wednesday (where I have found it in stock before), but neither had any left in stock.  The store closest to me hasn’t had it in stock for several months now.  Nor did my local Joann store have it in stock Wednesday.  So I came home and searched the internet for some, but to no avail.

Honestly, this makes me quite anxious.  I think I’ll go CRAZY if I can’t use this lace any more!  I truly do love it that much.  Maybe that’s irrational of me, but I do love it!  If any of you feel like finding it at your local Wal-Mart and stocking up to jack up the price and sell it on eBay, I’m sure you could make a killing off me!  LOL.

Sadly, I may not be kidding, really.

Anyhoo!  Please stop by to see what the rest of the Fusion Design Team have created and to see the details for this challenge.  I hope you’ll participate with us!

Deanna Jean / Kelly Griglione / Amy Tsuruta / Kay Miller / Lyndal Higgins

Thanks for stopping by today.
-Ally

Supplies Used:
Stamps:  Boutique Borders: Birthday; Simple Sunflower (PTI)
Paper/Cardstock:  Classic Kraft, Dark Chocolate, Rustic White Cardstocks (PTI)
Inks:  Pool Party, So Saffron (SU!); Classic Kraft, Dark Chocolate (PTI); Tea Dye Distress Ink
Embellishments:  Rhinestones (Recollections); Lace (Offray); Aqua Mist Stitched Ribbon (PTI); Sparkle Shimmer Spray (Tsukineko)
Tools:  Simple Sunflower Dies, Linen/Canvas Impression Plate (PTI)