Color Throwdown #161

Happy Wednesday, my friends!  I'm hosting the Color Throwdown (CTD161) this week and I chose what I think is a fun and easy palette for you to work with!  Check it out:

It's based on my new digi paper pack at My Time Mady Easy called Trendy Forest.  HUGE thanks to the CTD gals who were able to use it on their cards this week!  They made it look fantastic!!  I used three of the sheets on my card, and also recolored some Wistful Musical Magic paper in chocolate for my circle panel.  I cut it on my Cricut using my Cornice Trimmed Circle cut file resized to 3".  I cut my flag panel using the flag piece from the What's My Fortune? Cookie cut file.  My sentiment and the bird cage are from the Singing Silhouette stamp set.  I stamped and embossed the cage on the vellum panel I cut using the Caged cut file.  My cute little bird was cut from the A Little Birdie cut file and resized to fit on my birdcage :]  Oh my...evertime I think I'm done sharing the supplies I used, I realize there's yet another cut file!  Last but certainly not least, the pretty branch that I cut from my plaid lime paper used the Branching Out cut file.  My white, ruffled trim, melon ribbon, and chocolate brad are from Hobby Lobby.

My layout was inspired by Chupa's Sketchbook Saturday Challenge #30.

Okay, I think that covers everything!  Don't stop here though, we have a TON of inspiration from our very talented DT.  Be sure to check out their goodies :]

Bar

Broni

Carole

Danielle

Tammy

♥ Julee Tilman ~ September Guest Designer ♥

Thanks for stopping in today!  Hope your week is awesome so far, and finishes up on a nice and easy note ;]

Color Throwdown Challenge #160

Hi all...I'm back from the work trip I took to New Mexico last week, and am happy to be playing along with the CTD today!  Danielle is our hostess and she chose a timeless color combo that I adore.  Check it out:

So pretty ♥  Fortunately, I have some paper that jives well with this palette, MTME All Steamed Up and one sheet from my Coffee Beans collection.  I really wasn't trying to plagiarize our fab guest designer, Julee Tilman's concept on her MOJO Monday card when I use her sketch, but maybe the coffee theme spoke to me subliminally :] 

Total bonus that my paper just so happens to be coffee themed.  I used one of my newest label cut files, Frame Me to provide a base for my cup.  I stitched my sentiment tag to my handle, and added a pretty, pearl flourish for my "steam"...along with my chocolate twine and pink button.  I'm planning to send this card to my kiddo at college with her next care package because I do, miss her a "latte" :)

Okay, friends.  That's all I have to share with you today, but be sure to swing by the rest of our team's blogs for a healthy dose of inspiration.

Bar

Broni

Danielle

Julee Tilman ~ September Guest Designer

Thanks for stopping by today :]  Hope you're having a fabulous week!!

Color Throwdown Challenge #158

Hi everyone.  I'm back today with my card for the Color Throwdown (CTD158).  Broni is our hostess today and she chose a perfect palette for the masculine card I needed to make!  Check it out:

I realized recently that CAS is my friend when my mojo is on vacay.  I think I may have left it on the cruise I took in August...not exactly sure, but it's M.I.A!  So, today I used my new digital stamp set at MTME, Happy Hallows.  I layered the solid, abstract circle in a pale gray (80% transparent), the plaid in Peach Parfait (also 80% transparent), then layered my open faced leaves at full opacity in Island Indigo.  The trunk of my tree is Basic Gray.  I inserted my tree "photo" into a Word document, added the "happy" sentiment, and printed. 

I recolored the multi-striped paper from my Shutt-erfly collection to match this week's palette, layered my white, embossed 'birthday' sentiment from So Sentimental, stitched on some peach colored buttons, and layered it on gray cs.  That was it...all finished.  Almost too simple (in execution and appearance)...but the recipient won't mind.  It's going to a teenage boy ;]  LOL

Find some real inspiration at our DT's blogs...and our fabulous September guest designer, Julee Tilman!

Bar

Broni

Carole

Danielle

Laura

Tammy

♥ Julee Tilman ~ September Guest Designer ♥

Thanks for stopping by today!  Hope you had a relaxing, LONG weekend ;] 

Color Throwdown Challenge #157

Hi everyone.  I'm here to share a very quick card I made for a special man in my life, using Bar's fab Color Throwdown (CTD157) combo for the week!  Check it out:

Awesome, right?  I used my new stamp set being released at MTME this month (available tomorrow), Happy Hallows.  It pairs beautifully with my paper, Trendy Forest also.  I used three of my sheets from the collection to whip up this card.  It was SO easy...it came together effortlessly. 

I used Lauren's Round Up Tag to cut my tree out (using Lauren's instructions on cutting digi images with cut files found HERE).  I layered three of the images to make the top of my tree (the kooky circle at 80% transparency, the fill leaves, and the outline leaves in blue).  My tree base is in kraft (kind of)...and my sentiment from So Sentimental is in burgundy.  SO, I eDID use all the colors, but like normal, I focused on two of them ;]  Not sure why I always do that...one day I hope to be as creative as our other gals and be able to incorporate all of the colors thoroughly. 

Notice my sentiment panel.  I pinned the rectangle from Round Up Tag to my limeade plaid with a couple of brads.  I wrapped my hemp twine around the brads and tucked them behind the two notches I punched using the SU punch that has two little rectangles on it (couldn't find the link, sorry) on each side of the plaid panel.  I layered everything with dimensional tape (as usual).

I used Chupa's Sketchbook Saturday Challenge #26 for my layout

That's all I have for you today, but be sure to check out the rest of our talented DT and super-talented guest designer!

Bar

Broni

Tammy

Sharon Johnson ~ Tonight's Guest Designer

Thanks for stopping by today.  I'm finally getting back into the swing of things, and hopefully chanelling my mojo again (if not today, maybe next week).

Have a great hump day!  It's almost over...

Just Us Girls {3-D/TEMPLATE} Challenge #99

Hi friends.  I'm popping in this morning to share the quick project I made for today's Just Us Girls challenge (JUGS99).  Lisa is our hostess, and she kept things easy for all of us!  Simply create a 3-D project that showcases a back to school theme!  Oh the possibilities!! 

I decided to use the MTME Cutesy Cover template to create a sweet little box to house some much needed hand sanitizer for anyone going back to school - student and teacher alike!  I didn't add a sentiment simply because I liked the way it looked without one and I haven't decided who I'll be giving this one to.  I printed 4 sheets of my MTME Academic Hodgepodge paper.  Two at full, 8.5" x 11" size, and the other two at 5" x 7".  I used to two full size sheets to line the interior and layer the exterior. 

The smaller sheets were what I used to create the Rosey Posey Rosette and the Steno Note sheet.  I always use hot glue on the rosette because it's the only adhesive that works every time for me.  I threaded my button and tied off some double looped hemp with a cute bow, then hot glued the button on my rosette.  I used the combination of the rosette and the steno note paper as a "latch" of sorts to hold my box closed.

This little template almost held a third hand sanitizer!  Not bad for one of the smaller MTME templates.  Especially considering this one only requires one sheet of cs to cut the template.  Oh, and I only used one strip of tape to adhere the template together!  Bonus if you ask me ;]  The REAL WIN is the fact that this little treasure is FREE in the MTME store!  Check it out and share with us on Facebook if you whip something up!!

Thanks for checking in today.  Please be sure to swing by the rest of our talented DT's blogs for a healthy dose of inspiration:

Elise

Kathryn

Lisa

Maria

Pam

Hope you and yours are staying dry and safe from the storm this weekend.  I don't know about those of you enduring the storm, but it sure makes me feel crafty!  Helps that we aren't taking a direct hit, I suppose, but I hope to take advantage of it!

Color Throwdown Challenge #156

Hi friends!  I'm back after a long break for summertime fun with my kiddo and dropping her off at Penn State.  My mojo is nowhere to be found, unfortunately, and our little, unexpected earthquake today made for a 2 1/2 hour trip home on the train which put me further behind (because I wait until the last minute :).  BUT, alas, I did make a card...for none other than my sweet college girl, just to let her know that I think she's awesome and I love her ;]  The latter sentiment is on the inside but I didn't take a photo (sooo tired).  Check out our awesome palette this week that Laura selected:

Love this combo!  I recolored some of my digi paper for the challenge and used Laura's Lil Inker Rainbows and Clouds stamp set for my sentiments.  Clean, simple, fun and cute...just like Tia (the fun and cute, that is).  Her fave color is yellow, but I was really feeling the kraft on this card so I went with it.  I'll add links to my paper later, I am up way too late tonight and I have an EARLY morning.  Sorry for the slacking post...I'll get back into the groove before too long.

Hope you are all well and can find some crafty time to play along.  Gather some more inspiration from our fab dt and guest designer:

Bar

Broni

Carole

Laura

Tammy

♥ Lori Tecler ~ August Guest Designer ♥



Thanks for stopping by today.  Have a fab week/weekend :]

Just Us Girls {3-D/TEMPLATE} Challenge #94

Hi friends.  I'm here to share my JUGS 3-D/Template project with you.  Dana is our hostess this week and she selected a fun challenge that hopefully anyone can play along with!  Check it out:

Don't we all have some sort of plain gift bag laying around?  I have a ton in my collection of wrapping paper and gift cards.  I found this little, dark brown gift sack and I knew it was perfect for my project!  I kept my bag ultra simple to show you how easy yet effective a quick decoration can be on a simple bag like this one.  I already had some of Lauren's Spring Is Here paper printed from my last project, so I took the 5x7 piece and used a scalloped border punch on each long side.  I cut the left and right edges of my double sided scalloped layer to about 5 1/4".  I then scored down the middle and cut in about 1/4" on each side about 1" from the edge.  I kept it folded and cut from one slit to the next.  That gave me the opening I needed to slide the panel over my handles. 

I simply added two matching buttons from my stash, after threading with green twine and adhering with glue dots.  I added a triple loooped bow to hold my panel down, and I was finished.  It really doesn't get much easier than that...and Lauren's fabulous paper didn't need much to make it sing on this project!  It's such a lovely contrast with the dark brown...I couldn't bring myself to muddy it up any further.  My three wick candle fits snugly inside ready to give to someone when the occasion arises.

Well, that's all I have for you today.  I sure hope you can play along this week!  If you do, please add a direct link to your post using Linky Tools over on the JUGS blog, and use keyword JUGS94 in any online galleries.

Don't forget to visit our fab DT for some awesome inspiration!  Some of the girls are on break this week due to busy summer schedules, but please swing by and leave them some love anyway :]

Andrea

Dana

Elise

Kathryn

Lisa

Maria

Thanks for stopping by!  Hope you stay cool this weekend and find time to get a little crafty.

Color Throwdown #151

Hi friends!  I'm here to share the card I made and today's palette at the Color Throwdown, where I'm your hostess!  Check out the palette our team came up with:

As you can see, I chose to work with part of the palette, vs trying to use ALL of these pretty colors.  Laura's Rainbows and Clouds dies and stamps were our inspiration this week:

My chosen colors from the expansive palette came straight from Lauren's Spring Is Here paper.  Today was the perfect opportunity for me to finally use it!!  Isn't the combo purty?!  Love it!!  I cut the rainbow from my patterned paper found in the Fresh Cut Expressions Collection 2 set.  I layered it on my circle by adhering the three stripes with Scor-Tape on the reverse side (small pieces that spread across the three stripes in different areas).  I left the tape backing intact and added a few small pieces of dimensional tape. 

Now, I know my rainbow looks offset, but it's NOT!  I promise!!  The bottom edges of my rainbow are perfectly aligned...I just used the clouds as an optical illusion.  I offset them as much as I could without revealing the edges of the rainbow.  Cool effect, huh?  I layered my circle and rainbow on another piece of my Fresh Cut Expressions Collection 2 paper cut from Lauren's new label cut file, Be Dazzled.

I layered some Saffron ribbon and satin, 'gold' ribbon on top to thread through my label die and create a double looped bow.  Tied it down with a green button from my stash and finished everything off with dimensional tape ;]  EASY, girly card, for a very, VERY dear friend of mine, Kristin Daugherty.  It's her birthday today, so I wanted to whip up a late card for her (she knows me well, and doesn't expect to receive any cards on time from me :).  So, with any luck, I'll stick this in the mail tomorrow and she'll have it by Saturday.


Oh, and my layout was inspired by the very talented Chupa's Sketchbook Saturday Challenge #20.  Check it out:

That's all I have to share with you today, but be sure to check out the rest of the team.  Some of our gals are taking a break, and some are playing along.  I'm linking everyone because I know they all would appreciate a little love if you're in a commenting mood ;]  

Bar

Broni

Carole

Danielle

Laura

LeAnne

Tammy

Keva ~ July Guest Designer

Have a great week and weekend!!

Color Throwdown #150

Hi all, and happy Wednesday :]  I'm here to share a VERY quick card I made for the Color Throwdown challenge.  Laura is our hostess and she selected this pretty palette:

I used the colors quite literally, which I normally try NOT to do, but like I said...this was a quick card and I LOVED all of the colors together.  So, I decided to just go with it.  I cut the frame using the MTME Killer Curves cut file, and then embossed it with one of my Cuttlebug embossing folders (birds and vines...not sure of the actual name).  I tied a teal, satin bow around the right side and popped it up with dimensional tape on a 4.25"x4.25" card base.  

My flower was created by cutting the pieces from my Fluttering By paper using the Blossoming Into Spring cut file.  I only worked with four of the flower pieces for my bloom, but I popped all of them up with dimensional tape except for the base and the top layer.  Before I adhered them, I sponged a pale pink followed by a rose red and stitched a teal button to the top layer.  I adhered the flower to my card with glue dots...and as you can see, that's literally all there was to my card.  Simple, but fresh...and sentiment free so I can use if for a myriad of occasions that pop up.  


We hope you're able to find some crafty time this week and can play along.  Remember, you don't have to match these colors exactly, just use the closest colors you have on hand.  Also, be sure to add a direct link to your post using the Linky Tools widget on the CTD blog.  Last but certainly not least, check out our CTD gals for a healthy dose of inspiration today:

Bar

Broni

Carole

Danielle

Laura

LeAnne

Tammy

Thanks for stopping by, despite my MIA status recently :|  Hope your summer is relaxing and happy ♥

Just Us Girls Challenges #91 & #92 :]

Ahhh...TGIF!  I'm back after several days of NO crafting :[  I've been engaged with lots of non-crafting stuff though, and it's all AMAZING, so I'm definitely not complaining.  I'll set aside crafting to enjoy life any day ♥  Maybe I'll share more on that another day...as things get even better...but for now, I'm going to share my JUGS92 card!  I'm your hostess this week for the Technique Challenge, and I'm challenging you to make a project showcasing your very own handmade paper buttons!

My button trial didn't work out so well initially, and I can't say I'm overly thrilled with this one but it is night and day better than the first!  I created my button using cut files instead of punches.  For this one, I used the MTME Elegant Curves - Circles cut file.  

I scaled the main layer to 1", and copied/pasted until I had five pieces.  I cut three out of SU Poppy Parade cs, and two out of white.  I added two small circles to the poppy pieces for my button holes, and added one larger interior circle to my white layers so that I would end up with a frame of sorts.  Here's a snapshot of what it looked like in SCAL:

After adhering the layers, I painted the sides with white acrylic paint to hide the poppy layers, and added a thick glaze (a little TOO thick) of Crystal Effects to the top.  Let it dry before touching the glaze otherwise you'll have to add another layer of glaze and you'll end up with the THICK layer I've got!

Check out the cutie-patootie rainbow and cloud pieces!!  These clever little images (and sentiment) are courtesy of Lil Inker - Rainbows and Clouds Dies and Stamps.  Laura is so talented...she never fails to amaze me with her new products.  Her eye for versatility and what the market is lacking, is phenomenal.  I love watching her humble company grow with each release and can't wait to see where this takes her :]  If you LOVE her products as much as I do, and you're looking for a temporary design team gig...check out her DT call!  You'll be a part of the very beginning if you get picked up AND you'll receive at least two of her current release products!  Win-win if you ask me!!

I cut my rainbow from four different sheets of my MTME School Plaid, and added a strip of the poppy to the top of my card.  I used Kathryn's sketch from last week's challenge (JUGS91) for my layout.

That's pretty much all there was too it other than some sponging and embossing.  Be sure to swing by the rest of the DT's blogs for a ton of inspiration this morning.  They turned out some gorgeous cards!!

Andrea

Dana

Elise

Kathryn

Maria

♥ Christina ~ July Featured Designer ♥

Thanks for stopping by today!  Hope you are enjoying this HOT summer and finding some time to get creative. Have a fab weekend.