Aren't friends wonderful things to have?
I've been getting to know some fantastic people in this place we call blogland and beginning to call a few of them 'friend' along the way.

The card I have to share with you today happened in part because of one of these new friends.  In a very sweet RAK, Kelly sent me some stamped Pure Innocence images after I made a comment on this card on her blog.  The Happy Mail arrived this morning and I headed to my scrapping table as soon as I could! (NOTE: this was written last Thursday, when Blogger was down!)

I used the color pallete from this week's Color Throwdown #141.  The image is from the Pure Innocence Blooming Day stamp set and I colored her with SU! inks using blender pens.
I cut the image out with the Top Note die and trimmed off the outside (where the perforated dashes are).  The Rose Red mat is hand traced and hand cut. (Don't ask me why I didn't use the Top Note die for the mat......'cause I don't know!)  I used Primas as the base for the layered flowers, adding DP and Rose Red flowers made with the Boho Blossoms punch. I used the Curly Label and the Heart to Heart punches for the tag and heart at the top of card. Hope you like!

Thanks so much Kelly for sharing these with me! =))

Challenges:
The Color Throwdown - So Saffron, Rose Red & Aqua
Flourishes: Timeless Tuesday - Anything Goes

ETA: OOPS!  Got called away from the computer, got busy..........And FORGOT to come back and load these on the challenges! =((

Credits:
SU! - card stock (Bermuda Bay, Rose Red), Top Note die,  punches, ink
Prima - flowers
Oriental Trading - brads
Stash - DPs, white card stock

Friends

I've been learning a lot from various blogs that I visit, as well as some of the challenges I try to enter.  This week Our Daily Bread Designs is having their Shining the  Light Challenge 59.  The challenge is to use a technique I'd not heard of before, Embedded Embossing.

This technique is done by placing some elements onto a CS or DP and then embossing all those layers as one.  I layered a trim cut out of Sage Shadow (SU!) with my Cuttlebug Ornamental Iron die, and a Nestabilities Lable 14 cut out of a digital DP (polka dot), onto another digital DP (stripe), and then ran it all through my Big Shot using the Regal Flourishes emboss folder.  I so, so like the way this came out!!  I think I'll be using this technique a lot!  (Thanks, ODBD ladies!  Especially Sabrina - I took the embedded label inspiration from your sample!)  I inked the edges of this and wrapped lace and a Chocolate Chip ribbon around it before adhering to a Chocolate Chip textured card base.

The smaller Label 14 was cut out of handmade paper we make ourselves, here.   I stamped the Label 14 with the vine flourish from the Vintage Vogue set (SU!) using Creamy Caramel.  The 'F-friends', also from Vintage Vogue, was stamped with VersaMark and embossed using Stampendous Chocolate Brown emboss powder.  Then I hand cut it and popped it up on dimensionals.  The fabric flowers are from my stash, and the pink flowers are SU! Pretty in Pink DP punched with the Trio Flower punch.  I inked the edges with Chocolate Chip.  The layered flower was cut out of some more handmade paper with the Boho Blossoms punch.  I inked these with Creamy Caramel, Pretty in Pink and Chocolate Chip, and then crumpled them a little to give them dimension.  I like the way this paper  holds a 'crumpled' distress job without using water.  I finished it off by putting a small pearl in the center of every flower.

Thanks for stopping by!!

CREDITS:  
The Digital DPs are from two kits sold by Rasperry Road Designs.  The stripe is from Away in a Manger Papers, and the polka dot from Baskets and Bunnies Paper Set.
Stampin' Up! - card stock, DSP, stamps, ink, satin ribbon, VersaMark, dimensionals, punches
Spellbinders - Nestabilities Label 14
Cuttlebug - Ornamental Iron die
Sizzix - Tim Holtz Regal Flourishes emboss folder
Stash - lace, pearls, handmade paper


Challenges:
ODBDSLC59 - Embedded Embossing
RRR Challenge #23 - Double Dutch (two ribbons, laces, or trims)
 ETA: Stampin' Sisters in Christ - put all things "beautiful" on your card

YEA!!!

It's official......

.........I have ten followers!!

Now, if you look at the list I know it will tell you I have 11, but one of them is my daughter who lives with me and knows what I put up here, (she takes a lot of my pictures, as a matter of fact), so I don't count her!! =D

To celebrate, I have a little gift for each one of you followers.  A couple of the cards I have made recently have included some hand crocheted lace motifs on them.  I'd like to give each one of you a set of crocheted lace trims amd motifs as a Thank You for welcoming me to blogland in such a friendly, delightful way! 

Please contact me via email so I can mail these off to you!  And then I'll be watching and waiting to see what you do with them!

MFP-Hat pin

I really need to do a better job of knowing when the deadlines for these challenges are!!  I'm squeaking in at the end of the Mark's Finest Papers Challenge #53.

The criteria was to use a hat pin.  I didn't have one, so I made one!!  The card itself started several weeks ago when I got this stamp set from MFP.  At the time someone had a collage challenge going on so I stamped a collage image with the Gerbera Daisies using Crumb Cake and Chocolate Chip on Ivory Naturals CS die cut with a Nestabilities Label 14.  I used Pale Plum for the card base and mat, but because I didn't have any Chocolate Chip CS, I punched the corner and flower and sponged with Chocolate Chip ink to make my embellies.  The ribbon bow was made using Dana's tutorial, with one alteration;  I made a double bow and wired the center before placing it inside the 'knot'.

That was as far as I got, (actually I hadn't done the five petal flower yet, at that point!), and then I was stumped!!  I just couldn't come up with any way to finish this off.  I tried the hand crocheted lace (yes,made by me), which was great, but it still needed more.  Then...........the MFP challenge for a hat pin!! Eureka!!

But I didn't have one  ={!  I decided to make one using a flower head sewing pin, which I colored with Timber Brown StazOn, and then decorated with a button and a pearl.  That's when I decided to use the flower punch and add a pearl to the center of that, also!  Voila!!  Card done!

Challenge:
Mark's Finest Papers - hat pin

Thanks for stopping!

SU! - card stock, ink, ribbon, punches
Mark's Finest Papers - stamp
Stash - pearls, lace, button

A Wedding!

We got some exciting news this week.  My eldest daughter's close friend called to tell us she is getting married.  This, of course is a great reason to make a card.....so I did!

I found a new challenge I wanted to try at CardPatterns, (I think I got there from Lovely Linda's blog.....I think!), so I used this challenge as well as this week's Stampin Sisters in Christ Challenge #87 as the inspiration for this card.  

Marilynn is the hostess at SSIC this week, and she chose the verse Romans 8:28:

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

Marilynn's devotional and testimony are so amazing that I can't even begin to think of anything else to say.........so I won't.  But please, click over to her blog and read beautiful, encouraging, inspiring words from a heart that serves the King of Kings.  (There isn't a link available directly to her post so I've sent you to her blog.  At this time the post is at the top, but if you don't find it there, look for the date 'May 1, 2011')

Marilynn's challenge was to use no DP.  I chose white CS from my stash as my base, and then decided I wanted some color on this card.  I still had this piece of Sage Shadow that was used for the test run through my Cuttlebug Ornamental Iron emboss folder.  Although you can't see it in the picture, the half circle at the top of the card is bg stamped with a flower image in Blush Blossom and then I inked the edges with VersaMark and gold embossed. 

The flower in the center was stamped in Sage Shadow and the 'love' was embossed in gold.  I matted this on Blush Blossom and then popped it up on a dimensional inside the crocheted circle (no center to this) which was hand crocheted by......ME! =)

The white ribbon is from my stash and has a little sparkly flower pattern to it.  I thought that would be enough but then decided the gems from SU! were really necessary to finish this off.  All supplies and materials not already noted are from SU!

Challenges:
CardPatterns - sketch
Stampin' Sisters in Christ - No DP

Thanks for stopping!