Sugar Bowl Challenge 17

Updated to add new pics taken in daylight.

This is my submission to the Sugar Bowl Challenge. I'm finally getting around to inking up my adorable Sugar Nellie stamps. In fact, I scheduled this post much earlier but I either did it wrong or my first draft has disappeared into cyberspace.

I made this card for my BABY's 7th birthday and yes you're probably laughing but I still think of her as my baby. Darn it, time is flying and my girls are growing up waaaaay too fast. Well, she loved the card but mostly the image as she thought it suited her totally because she was of course ~ Princess for the day! Here's a close-up.

The challenge requires following the sketch below, handmade flowers ~ made with punches, dies......as long as they are not Primas ~ and a Sugar Nellie image.

The fabby prize is a full Autumn country cousins set - I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed cause they are so cute. Now if there are 200 participants for this challenge, Sugar Nellie will kindly give away a second set of these gorgeous stamps!

I will come back and update the photo as I took it at night and the lighting is not so great. I used Pink Pirouhette and Old Olive CS by Stampin Up. The beautiful DP was sent to me by my super nice friend Nikki ~ who by the way has an amazing Etsy store with lots of goodies. Check her out here. The bling ~ yes there is lots cause my baby loves the bling! ~ was sent to me by my super sweet buddy Bernie. She sent me an assortment of round, heart and star-shaped adhesive stones in different sizes. They were perfect for the card! My daughter kept ooohing over the jewels and telling big sister "see all the pink jewels on my card" - lol.

Gorjuss girl image was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black on Wausau paper and then coloured with the following Copics: E000, E01, R20, YR31, RV93, RV95, R81, R83, R85, E31, E31, C3, C5, C7 and C9. This is the third stamped image I coloured and the black hair turned out different each time. I'm certainly practicing the art of colouring black hair. I have found the best tutorial here by Suzanne Dean. Her colouring is amazing and I watch her tutorials over and over and over again.

Also pop-dotted the oval and stamped image for added dimension. This was a difficult sketch for me as I find it difficult to work with more than 2 layers/patterns of DP together. In fact, what took the longest time was selecting the DP for this card. I will definitely use this sketch again. Now I did change the orientation of the oval a bit and I placed the punched flowers a little differently on the card and I hope that's ok.

Thanks for stopping by for a wee peek and for taking the time to leave a comment. It is much appreciated.

Hugs,
Maria

Magnolia-licious Highlites Fall Project and an Award

The very talented Magnolia-licious DT used their fall stamps to create a card and coordinating project for their Tricks-n-Treats Blog Hop last week. Check out all the talent here at the Magnolia-licious Highlites Blog and join in on the fun. You could win a fabulous $10 gift certificate to Magnolia-licious along with a fall stamp of your choice!

Here's my card and coordinating project.

For my card, I cased a layout by the talented Sue Nelson here. I've been wanting to make a card with a circle sentiment generated by WordArt for sometime now. Sue is an inspiration so check out her work and make sure you have a cup of coffee and/or tea with you while you visit.

I used last year's Halloween paper by Heidi Grace ~ love this paper. I purchasaed all the sheets ~ ok hoarded (lol) ~ I could get my little hands on from Skribbles and Scraps. I stamped the Magnolia image on Wausau paper with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and coloured with my Copics. I kept the card layout simple as the paper is very busy. Copic colours used: E000, E01, R20, G20, V04, V12, E35, E59, YR15, YR82 & Y21. Here's a close-up of the image and sentiment circle.

For the coordinating project, I used my Cricut Expression with the Tags, Boxes and More cartridge to make a little purse. Ribbon is from my stash. My oldest daughter is in love with this set so of course I will surprise her with it in her lunch bag at school for Halloween.

On a final note, I am very flattered to have received this award from Bernie, a very talented crafter who I consider to be a good friend. Check out her beautiful creations here. She has an amazing sense of humour as well so you'll be smiling when you visit.

I would like to pass this award on to the following lovely ladies which I admire oh so very much. Nikki, Ila, Aud, Michele & Suzanne.

I'm making up for lost time with this extra-long post ~ phew I'm tired now (lol).

I appreciate you stopping by to visit. Hugs,
Maria

Candy Thanks

I'm a bit late posting my thanks to the wonderful Stephanie over at Stamping and Sharing for this awesome calorie-free candy/cake she sent me in the mail. If you aren't already familiar with her beautiful work, pop on over here and have a peek. She is a super nice lady and her creations are wonderful.

If you can believe it, the candy is even yummier in person than in the picture and Stephanie's picture is a show stopper.

Tomorrow I'll post a Halloween - boohoo summer's almost over - card and small project.

Have a great Tuesday,
Maria

Ladybug and Friends

New Elizabeth Bell clear stamps will soon be available at Ladybug and Friends and until they are ready to be dispatched, Ladybug and Friends is offering this awesome blog candy - set of 8 new Elizabeth Bell clear stamps plus 12 Touch Brush markers. Two lucky winners will be drawn so pop over for a look-see yourself to checkout these gorgeous stamps.

Have a great day,
Maria

Picture Card

Here's a quickie post showcasing a card for a special someone who's now in his 30's. Hubby asked me to make a card and include an extra-special picture in it. Well if a card is important it takes me twice as long to make it but I love these American Crafts papers and how the colours work together. It is so hard to make a 'boy' card but I'm happy with how this turned out.

Happy Sunday and Hugs,
Maria

Holidays and a Card

I've slowed down a bit on the blogging and crafting front as I'm wanting to spend some quality time with my family before my daughters head back to school in September. 24 hours is never enough time to get done or do everything I want.

Having said that, I will be posting a couple of cards this week only because I've been working on bits and pieces for a while but the posts will be very very short as I only have 2 weeks left with my girls before they go back to school.

Here's a card I made for my niece's 6th birthday. Stamp is from Stamping Bella and DP is My Mind's Eye - love this stuff. Image stamped on Neenah Smooth with Memento ink and coloured with Copics. Other cardstock is Stampin Up and Ive used a Martha Stewart border punch and Spellbinder die on the inside of the card. It's a basic card but it always takes me a while to work out a layout and colour scheme I like. This is my first card colouring black hair. Boy oh boy did I practice - my 5th attempt for this card alone no wonder I haven't been posting much (LOL). Still lots of practicing ahead when it comes to colouring anything in black.

Thanks for stopping by to have a peek and have a marvelous Saturday,
Maria