Butterfly Basics for GDP31 (again)

I'm back with another "nature" themed card for the Global Design Project.  If you missed my post Monday, make sure you check that card out too!  

And be sure to click the image below to see all of the cards from talented design team members.

I wanted to make a card with leftover scraps.  3 weeks ago I had my first SU! party in over 6 months.  We made a card using the Butterfly Basics stamp set.  I had a leftover stamped piece that someone had smudge and I thought I'd save it and do something with it later.  

Sometimes we cover up ink smudges and sometimes we just cut everything out! :)

I cut the flowers out and layered them a little to give them some depth.  I also added Crystal Effects to really bring the flowers out.

I added a scrap piece of Newsprint DSP I had saved.  (I hope they carry that over again!)

I used my very last bit of Watermelon Wonder Lace Ribbon - love just letting a little peek through.

The background DSP is the Going Places DSP and the birthday sentiment is from Silhouettes & Script hostess set.   I added some Metallics Sequin Assortment and Gold 1/8" Ribbon.

I sent this to my dear friend Steph in Rhode Island.  This was my 8th birthday that I've sent so far in April.  If you missed Shannon West's Birthday Card Initiative - You can read about it here.  It's more fun to send and receive birthday cards and phone calls than it is to just write on someone's facebook wall. 

If you would like to receive a birthday card from me - leave a comment! :)

Blessings,

Holly 

You're a Great Catch! - GDP031 and Guest Designer Eli!

I have a special treat for you today!  I have my youngest (and first) guest designer!  If you follow me here on Instagram, you may have seen my little Eli watercoloring with me last week.  We were attempting to make bubble stationary with soap, water and food coloring.  It was an epic fail - certainly didn't work out like I remember as a child.  So we decided to get some reinkers out with watercolor paper and do something different!  Eli had fun and I was so amazed by the job he did!

So this weekend I sat down and made a card with the paper.  I received the From Land to Sea stamp set in the mail on Friday and wanted to try it out.  I was really pleased with the card and was planning to blog about it today when I saw the new challenge at Global Design Project was "nature"... PERFECT!  Btw, I'm so honored that I was chosen as GDP29's pick!  Thank you everyone! <3

(Click on the image below to go to the site and see all of the other nature inspired cards)

I love the marlin in the stamp set.  When we went on the KLove Cruise with my inlaws in January, we stopped at a Guy Harvey restaurant and store in the Cayman Islands.  I had never heard of the guy "Guy" but his artwork is amazing.  Marlins are one of the things he paints.  So I was inspired to use the blue and purple from the paper Eli made and used the Lost Lagoon and Blackberry Bliss for the marlin too.

I used corrugated paper to make it look like the fish was mounted on wood.  I thought the texture would look better than stamping the hardwood stamp in brown.   I colored the fins using the clear Wink of Stella and found the perfect sentiment from Settin' Sail.  (It's a current photopolymer set with SU!)

Because I stamped the image on Coaster Board, when I colored it using an Aqua Painter, the paper curled.  I wasn't at all upset about it - made it look like a real fish that was mounted!

Thank you for stopping by today! I hope that you are inspired to make your own background paper!  Be sure to head on over to Global Design Project's blog and see some more!

Blessings!

-Holly 

TGIFC50 - Sketch Challenge with Awesomely Artistic

TGIF!! Happy Friday!! 

Okay, you're probably a little more excited than I am because my Fridays are like a Tuesday for our family.  But nonetheless, Friday means there is a new challenge going on over at TGIF Challenges!  Last week I did not participate.  The first weekend of the month usually means a Sunday post and Monday post with two other design teams that I am on, so the break was needed.  BUT the cards were all great!  Always tough to choose our favorite!

This week we have a sketch challenge for you and I looooooove it!  It was so fun to make this card and I think sketches are my favorite kind of challenges!

I chose 3 colors I don't normally use (one of which I hate to admit, I didn't even know was still current!)

I never use Elegant Eggplant but wouldn't you know I've used it twice now this month!

I also chose Delightful Dijon and Cucumber Crush.

I think the pop off of the kraft cardstock really brings it together.  

The panels really stand out - literally and figuratively :)

I shaded around all of the flowers with Sahara Sand and then added a few splatters as well.

I hope you join us for this week's challenge!  Make sure you tag your creations on IG, Pinterest and share around the web!  We love to see you tag TGIF Challenges facebook page too!

Have a great weekend!

-Holly 

I'm Lost without You - FMS231 & International Blog Highlight

Hey everyone!  I wanted to share a card with you today that I made for the Freshly Made Sketches challenge.  I sat at my craft table last night trying to make a card but nothing was working.  So when I woke up this morning, I had an email from Kylie Bertucci reminding me that the "love themed" blog highlight was almost over.  I had an idea now for the FMS card!

Here is the sketch this week:

I absolutely love the geometric lines.  Such a simple look but you could really have some fun with it!  Make sure you check out the Freshly Made Sketches site to see the design team's inspiring creations. 

I made this card with the "happy together" sentiment from A Dozen Thoughts but I really liked the "I'm lost without you" sentiment with the two fish swimming among the school of fish. :)

I think this fits the "love" theme for the International blog highlight, don't you?  Kylie hosted a blog highlight last month and had a great turnout - but I missed out on the fun!  Hopefully this will bring some more viewers to my blog.  I have been stuck at 31 followers for almost a year.  Do me a fave... Subscribe to my blog by adding your email at the top of my blog! :)  I'd appreciate it! <3

Have a wonderful day!  I'll be back tomorrow with another sketch from TGIF Challenges! :)

-Holly 

Stamp Review Crew - White Christmas

Welcome to our first stamp set highlight of the month!  This is my second month with the Stamp Review Crew and I'm having a lot of fun seeing how creative my fellow team members are when it comes to using the same stamp set.  If you came from Kelly Kent's blog, thanks so much for stopping by!  

As you can see by our banner, we are using the White Christmas stamp set.  To be honest, I'm over all the "white" stuff and my mind is on spring.  When I saw this was the set we were using I knew I wanted to do something that didn't relate to Christmas.  We recently moved from Rhode Island and had two beautiful autumns in New England.  We drove to Vermont in October and toured a few maple syrup farms. 

So do you know what else those cute little trees remind me of??

You guessed it!  Syrup!  

My mom and dad just tapped their first trees and made their own syrup this year.  They sent me this picture one morning and said they were trying something new!  Looked like fun to me :)  They sent us the tiniest bottle in the mail and we're anxious to try it.  I'm not sure how many pancakes it will cover, so I might pull an Elf moment and pour it on my spaghetti!

(I'm kidding...)

So I wanted to make my parents a thank you card and decided to tie in the "syrup" theme with the sap lines running from tree to tree. 

I literally threaded some Tangerine Tango twine around the trees.  :) 

I really enjoyed making this stamp set into something different.  I hope they enjoy the card too!

Time to make some pancakes.  Or maybe just two.  haha!

I would love for you to continue on around the hop.  You can go back to the talented Kelly or next to my follower on many hops - Ms. Rochelle Blok :)  You can also click on the SRC Banner up top to go to the homepage to see a list of all of the participants!

  

Have a great week!

-Holly 

Spring Flowers with the Creation Station

Happy Sunday everyone! Welcome to another Creation Station hop!  We are a group of 15 stampers from all over the globe that share something on the first Sunday of each month.  If you came from the talented Cindy Schuster's site, thank you for continuing on to me!  She's a tough act to follow! :)

This month's theme is FLOWERS.  It may have been suggested to use the Botonicals Bundle from the Occasions catalog, but I don't have that one.  I'm not really a flower person.  I like real flowers, but not so much stamped flowers.  I do think that my tastes are changing though and that may be due to the fact that SU! has come out with some great flower sets lately!  Either way, this was a challenge for me! :)

I wanted to use this Fun Flower punch that I got for my birthday back in December.  Yes, I hadn't used it yet... But I needed to make a sympathy card and liked the idea of mixing the punch and Rose Wonder set.  The Rose Wonder set has beautiful sentiments - such a pretty set!

I added some grunge with the Timeless Textures set from the Occasions catalog and some extra splatter from my aqua painter.  I even stamped the flower with one of the stamps from set. 

The bottom layer has Lost Lagoon washi on the edges just for extra pizzazz.  

(I'm also trying to use up all my retiring in-color items! sniff, sniff...) :(

For the inside I carried the same elements over.  Always like to be "matchy-matchy".  

I also made some bookmarks for the ladies that just ordered from my MIL's party.  They're all in her Bible class at church so I thought this was a good way to say thanks!

I think that's it for today! whew!  

Are you still reading this?? haha!

Thank you all for stopping by!  I hope you all had a great March and a blessed Easter!  I also hope you've been following my blog for more than just the first Sunday of the month when we do our Creation Station blog hop! Haha! If you aren't following my blog, please subscribe via email so you don't miss anything!

Now head on back to Cindy or onto the next button to my "stamping sister" Rochelle! 

Blessings!!

-Holly 

PPA294 - Alphabet Rotary Stamp Highlight

I think April Fool's day is late.  I woke up to a white ground covering... 

Seriously, Minnesota Spring... make up your mind! 

So since it's cold out, I decided to do some more stamping while the boys played and our youngest napped. I have not played with Pals Paper Arts in a veeeery long time!  I get overwhelmed sometimes with the number of challenge sites out there and I forget to check in on certain ones.  When I saw an email come through my inbox with another stamper playing along, I thought this sketch looked easy enough!

I did shift my circle to the right a little, but I still think its the focal point of the card.

I like the look of skinny egdes on layers.  I've been trying to do more of that lately, and I think it helps frame in the map a little better. 

The Alphabet Rotary stamp is one of my favorite "tools" in the catalog.  I've done a lot of fun sayings with it and this one came to mind to pair well with the Going Global DSP and World Traveler embossing folder.  

I hope you enjoyed today's card.  Tomorrow I'll be back with our monthly Creation Station blog hop!

Have a great weekend!

-Holly