The Ides of March are upon us...

:) And SO are tons of challenges! :)

First up, definitely head over to the Scrap-A-Doodle Doo blog and help us congratulate our first sketch winner! And then check out this month's sketch so you can play along too! :)

THEN head over to Card Makin' Mamas for a sweet Spring colors challenge! :) This card was made using a  GAWJUSS Elisabeth Bell image that yours truly won during their recent blog hop... It was made for my mom (have I mentioned she's my number one fan, lol?), whose birthday is June 7. I think she'll love this little lady and the spring colors she's got going on! :)

I cannot WAIT for bright sunshiney days to last! :)

I'm definitely submitting this doll to Elisabeth Bell's World Challenge Blog, cause I totally used their sketch to get her going! :) I'm also submitting to The Crafty Blogger's Network (Spring), Pretty Little Ribbon (Happy Birthday), Victorine Stamps' Anything Goes, and Addicted to Stamps' Lots of Flowers.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Because I care

Hey blogland! Adina here with another Craft Your Passion challenge this week! :) Being on this design team has DEFINITELY kept me on my toes (and crafting regularly!!), which I LOVE!!!

This week's challenge was to use two colors (although we could use derivatives of the color), so I went for my all time favorite combo of mint green/teal with beige/kraft.

The stamp I used for this is from Unity Stamp Co (their stamp of the week club)... I used the sentiment before cause it is perfect for my students' senior cards, but I hadn't found a way to use the flowers until this project. I colored the flowers in using my copics (of course!) and viola, 1, 2, 3, card... :) Oh, and I distressed the two little flowers on the left with ink to make 'em beige and teal as well!

I will be submitting this one to Craft Us Crazy's Anything Goes challenge, Artistic Inspiration's Flowers challenge, Marker Pop's Spring Bling challenge, and Addicted to Stamps' Flowers challenge. Thanks so much for stopping by today! :)

Mother's Day Gift for Momma

Hey bloggers! Adina again with a PAST due post! I can't believe I didn't share my "Odd" project from this week's Craft Your Passion challenge!!! After being inspired by another blogger (soooo sorry that I can't remember who!!) some time ago, I went in search of a desk set that was cheap and already made, lol. Then I altered the heck out of it using Unity Stamps's Stamp of the Week, and viola...

Basically, there's the pen, whose box was just altered with some fabric tape and flowers, the notebook that got some kraft paper, fabric tape, a sentiment stamp cut with my Spellbinders and the flower colored in with poppies. Then there are six cards that got similar treatment placed in a plastic box that was ALSO decorated... Phew. Sounds more complicated than it really was lol! :) 

It's kinda funny to me how my mom is still my number one fan, so this set was definitely made with her in mind. I already made her Easter gift (post to come!!!) and this is her Mother's Day gift...

I'm submitting the project to 4 Crafty Chicks (dies) and Paper Crafting Journey's Anything but a Card. Thanks for checking it out... Hugs!!!

For someone who defies gravity

Hey there blogland!! Adina again, back to share a lil creative happiness with ya... This week's challenge at Card  Makin' Mamas was "Green"... And our sponsor was Simply Betty Stamps. And lemme tell ya, when I first saw "Green" I was intimidated.Green is NOT my favorite color in the grand scheme of things, and I barely have green papers around... BUT then I saw Witchy Wednesday and she SCREAMED "Elpheba" to me... Then again, I was probably listening to the Wicked soundtrack because, well, I listen to that almost every day...

When I finished the card up, I realized it's time to send another Care Package to my darling Ariana, who I cannot wait to see on Broadway... she's majoring in theater at NYU Tisch, and mark my word, the girl is going to be famous. She is a triple threat and AMAZING, not to mention dynamic... And missed, lol. After Ariana's class graduated, I realized I can never allow myself to become so attached to another set of students again. She is part of probably what I would consider the most talented graduating class I have ever had the chance to teach and, well, I can go on and on but I won't lol. :)

I'll be submitting this one to 613 Avenue Create (Anything Goes/Tic Tac Toe), Gingerloft (Ribbons and Bows), Great Impressions (Green and recycled book page and doily), No Matter Which (Anything Goes), and Digi Haven (Green). 

Thanks for stopping by and have a Wickedly fun day!! :)

Spring is in the Air!!

Hello blogland and welcome to another FABULOUS sketch (lol, by yours truly...) sponsored by Scrap-A-Doodle Doo!

This month's sketch was inspired by the gorgeous creations I've seen through blogland featuring the starburst pinwheel design.

And here's my take on it...

So head on over to the Doo blog today and play along for your chance to win a gift certificate to the online store!

Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head...

Hello blogland and Happy Monday to ya!! Adina here again with a (hopefully!) uplifting lil cutie for ya...

This Springtime duo is from none other than Birdie Brown and was definitely inspired by my ardent desire for  winter to FINALLY be over so that Spring can find its way into town!

I printed the digi on Express-It Cardstock and then printed it again onto the orange patterned paper to paper piece the umbrella part. I added some shadows with a YR02 Copic, then pop dotted it to the image after cutting it out with my trusty, reliable Creative Memories Circle cutters. I colored the image in with copics, (E53, E57, E23 for the doggie and YR02 and Y02, Y04 for the birdie). Then I distress inked around the image in Broken China and Forest Moss. The sentiment is from a Close to My heart stamp set that comes with a lemonade pitcher above the words; I put a piece of tape over the image and just used the words for the peeking sunshine in the upper right hand corner of the card, added some chipboard banners, and viola... instant sunshine! :)

This lil guy was created for the Banners challenge over at Craft Your Passion this week, and is being submitted to Stamp and Create's Springtime Challenge, Forever Friends' Animal challenge, Creative Creations' Inspired by a Song, and Created With Love's Bright and Cheery Challenge.

Thanks so much for stopping by today and I do hope YOU have a sunshiney week!

All that glitters...

Hello again blog land! I cannot believe Monday is almost over already and I have not shared with you this week's Craft Your Passion challenge yet! This week's task is "All that Glitters" so take out your favorite stickles and (gasp) powdered glitters and get sparkly with it!

I chose to make an altered canvas ala Donna Downey who recently taught a mixed media class at Scrap-A-Doodle Doo and totally jump started my slacking mojo! On this one I stamped on the four tags in the background, then gessoed over them and added modeling paste...Then I added some silver and teal acrylic paint as accents. Then I glittered up the Tim Holtz gems with Glossy Accents and powder glitter in silver, blue and pink (gasp... I HATE dry glitter. It gets everywhere... it IS everywhere, still!) :). So I reverted to stickles for the Prima embellishment in the upper left hand corner and on the fairy's wings. But I still used dry glitter on the roses... OH and I stickled all the pink words in the phrase with Pink Lemonade stickles. THEN I used bubble wrap to stamp on the final pink, teal and black paint before I added the rosette ribbon on the bottom. Phew. That list makes it sound so easy peasy, but it took me like four days to make! :) I can't lie though... I'm in love with the way this one turned out...

 Our sponsor this week is Stamp Fairy and I played with Molly Fairy printed at 6", colored in with copics and stardust stickles. But since I had the "Angels" theme going on with the sentiment from Psalm 91:11, I chose to  hide her fairy wand and replace it with a bunch of white roses dipped in pink glitter.

Originally I was going to give this canvas to my principal's newest addition as a baby gift (which I have yet to buy!) but as I added the washi tape to the sentiment, the colors got a bit "older girl" and I couldn't picture it in a nursery. Throw in the bubble wrap paint job in pink, black and teal and,  well, now my almost ten year old wants it in her room. :)

I'm submitting this one to Word Art Wednesday, The Cheerful Stamp Pad (Anything but a card), Daisy Doodles' Anything Goes, Love to Create (Glitter), Melonheadz Friends (child), Glitter and Sparkle (anything but a card), Ooh La la (sparkle and shine), and The Crazy Challenge (Pink and Gems).

Thanks so much for stopping by...Hope you have a wonderful week! :)

Somewhere, over the rainbow

I guess I'm in a mood for nostalgic movies this week, because this card was totally channeling my inner Ozian... I mean, granted, I'm also a huge Wicked fan and my daughter is already planning our trip to see Oz, the Great and Wonderful, but there's nothing like the original Wizard of Oz to take me back to a happy place! :)

I love this line from Graphic 45 with all its blues and nostalgia, but this time around I chose the "backs" of the papers for their simplicity.

I am sending this to a swap partner on Paper Craft Planet and submitting to The Crafty Bloggers's Network's  Anything Goes, Crafty Boots' Outside of your Comfort Zone (it was painful NOT to have an image to color, which is my norm!), Creative Creations' Song inspiration, The Pretty Little Ribbons Shop's Anything Goes, and Vintage Stamping Challenge's Blues, Browns and Beiges challenges.

Thanks for looking! I have GOT to go ink up a stamp and color one up cause this one has me feeling happy that I made a card but somehow incomplete lol! :) Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Wouldn't it be lovely?

Hello there blogland and happy FRIDAY!!! This week has been hectic, with snow, sick kids, work and, well, no scrap time!!! :(

BUT being home with the kiddos does give me time to curl up with a good chick flick... And I have the double pleasure of beginning Pygmalion with my seniors this week, so I'm DEFINITELY in a "My Fair Lady" kind of mood (Aaaoooowwww)...

This little treasure is Sassy Studios' take on Eliza (My Fair Lady), which was supplied for this fortnight's Card Makin' Mamas Birthday challenge! I had SOOOO much fun coloring her in and, well, isn't she lover-ly? :)

I have been ogling this stamp since forever, and was so psyched to get my hands (and copics!) on her! :) I'm submitting her to Sweet N Sassy's 3,2,1 challenge, Charisma Cards' Anything Goes challenge as well as Craft us Crazy's "Show us your favorites" challenge (black, white, and pink are my favorite colors, My Fair Lady is one of my favorite movies, Pygmalion is one of my favorite books to teach, shall I continue? :)

Because of all the work that went into the detailed coloring and piecing of this  card, I'm also submitting her to Cute Card Thursday's "Eye for Detail" challenge.  Thanks so much for stopping by, and as always, happy crafting! :)

It's all about Love, Love, Love, Love, Love...

Hey blogland! It's STILL super full of snow here in Northern NJ, which makes it PRIME crafting time! :) Today I have a quick card that I made for this week's Craft Your Passion challenge: My Valentine! Anyone who knows me knows that I am SOOOOO not the sentimental romantic type. I don't make valentines for the hubs, and I hate flowers in the house cause they remind me of funerals. Yes, I love chocolate, but I love it   ALL the time, not just for a manufactured holiday... But I digress... :)

I DOOOO make valentines for the kids though, and I have made cards for Melanie's classmates over the past few years. This year I just bought candies for the class and saved the handmade valentine thing for Melanie, Elijah, and Serina (my sis).

This week's sponsor is the wonderful Bugaboo, who has the cutest, funniest images available... I selected a more traditional type of Valentine image (Fancy SB Love) cause I love that vintage feel she brings. BUT I am so going back to Bugaboo for some Stella images cause she is hilarious! :)

So head on over to Craft Your Passion this week and share your most romantic Valentines with us for a chance to win your own images from Bugaboo! I am also submitting this one to Dutch Dare Card Challenges (Be Mine) and Paper Crafting Journey. Happy crafting!

Ready to Craft YOUR Passion?

Hey there!!!  Me again with a quick announcement and post... :) I am honored to be a part of the Design Team for Craft Your Passion this year, and I spent the month of January getting all hyped up and ready to play along with a TALENTED group of ladies ready to inspire YOU to be as crafty as you can be! :)

Copics used: Skin-E000, E00, E11, E4; Dress/Bow-BG0000, BG10,  BG11; 

Hair, sleeves, and shoes-E50, E53, E31, E33; Heart-RV10, R20, C3

SOOOO, my first project with Craft Your Passion is this cutesy lil card featuring Ursula's Valentine Surprise from the Digi Garden. This week's challenge is to create a project featuring pastels only... SOOO, I paired up Ursula with some American Crafts papers and colored her in with copics,and viola... A CAS card if I've ever seen one! :) I kept telling myself to add something else, but then I would look at the papers and I just love them so much I decided to leave her alone...So my next card will probably have to be over the top to make up for the lack of embellishment! :)

I do, however, have to share the sad news of Jacqui's passing. Jacqui was the owner of The Digi Garden, and we are sending out our deepest sympathies to Jacqui's family and friends in their time of loss. She was a very creative and inspiring presence and her loss will be felt throughout the stamping community.

You have a week to link up your own pastels creation at Craft Your Passion to be eligible to win your very own prize from The Digi Garden... Your creation does not have to be a card (though it can be!). You can link a scrapbook page, altered item, ATC, whatever YOUR passion is!! :) Well???? What are you waiting for? :)

PS, I am submitting this one to Shopping Our Stash (hearts), CAS-ual Fridays (Love Letters), Simon Says Stamp (Anything Goes), My Time to Craft (Love is in the Air), and Simply Create Too (Valentine's Day). Thanks for looking!

SOG February Sketch

Hey blogland! Back again with another Oddie for ya! I'm stuck between wanting to send this one to Operation Write Home and the Sunshine Mail Foundation... A good kind of stuck, but I'm thinking I have to just make a second card so I don't have to choose! :)

This one was designed using the SOG February Sketch, Cute Card Thursday (different corner), Dutch Dare Card Challenges (Bright Colors, Buttons, and Pastel Colors), and Paper Crafting Journey's "For a Girl" challenge.

Bringing Lots of Love and a Lil Sunshine

Hey blogland! Hope everyone is staying warm and cuddly during the icy cold months here in Northern NJ! Is it cold where you are? Or are you enjoying your own summer now? :)... I miss my online Aussie friends... Hope all is well!

SOOOOOO, I'm back today to share a new Challenge over at the Sunshine Mail Foundation, where we craft and share our projects with sick or suffering children across the world. If you haven't checked out the Sunshine Mail Foundation recently, I would definitely urge you to head over there and join in on our current "Red, White, and Pink" challenge, then send your card in to brighten some child's day!

Colored using copics (E50, E53, R20, R22, R27)

Dry Embossed Red Cardstock from Close to My Heart

White Cricut Doily from Close to My Heart Art Philosophy

Pink Patterned Paper from Basic Grey

Lace and Pearl embellishments

Distressed with Victorian Velvet

This week's sponsor is Red Rubber Designs and this cute doggie and sentiment are from the Furry Friends release. So head on over to the Sunshine Mail Foundation and upload your Red, White, and Pink creations within the next two weeks so you can qualify for your own stamp set from their REALLY cool collection! Remember, in order to qualify you must send in your card, filled out with love, to the Sunshine Mail Foundation. But hey, crafting it forward is so... rewarding in itself! :) This challenge runs from February 1 through February 15 so crack out your girly colors and get crafty!  Hope to see you there!

I'm also submitting this one to Crafting When We Can for their "Strawberries and Cream" challenge, The Pink Elephant for their "Put a Heart on it" Challenge, Cut it Up's Valentine Challenge, Hiding in My Craft Room's Red Challenge, Dream Valley Challenges' Valentines challenge, The Sisterhood of Crafters' Hearts challenge, and Craft Us Crazy for the Die Cut challenge. Thanks for looking! :) 

"When I fall in love it will be forever" (Sense and Sensibility)

I have to get back to my Jane Austen titles soon, but for now I have an AWESOME announcement... I'm a Card Makin' Mama! Well, I've been a Card Makin' Mama for years now, like seriously since the inception of the blog I've played along with them from time to time, but now I'm officially a Card Makin' Mama... As in Design Team member! :)

And my very first project for my term is a LOVE card... I, unlike my favorite author who prefers this theme to all others, am NOT a romantic lovey dovey person! I prefer the ending to Wuthering Heights to that of Jane Eyre (though of course I love that Lizzie and Darcy are together! I mean, even the most cynical person will love THAT story!)... I digress...

SOOO, my first card is a love card featuring a digi stamp from  Bugaboo.

And you guessed it... the Card Makin' Mamas challenge for the next two weeks is LOVE...

So dig out your romantic side (right on time for Valentines Day!) and crank out your most lovey dovey card, then link up within the next two weeks for a chance at a Bugaboo sponsored prize! :) I'm also submitting this one to The Pink Elephant for their "Put a Heart on it" Challenge,Frosted Designs for their Love challenge, and Daring Cardmakers for their color challenge... Happy crafting! :) 

Scrap-A-Doodle Doo is getting a lil Sketchy!!!

Hello there and Happy February!!! Is it Spring yet??? Cause I'm ready for the warmer weather! :)

BUT the bright side to being forced indoors is  the extra crafting time! :) SOOOO, to keep you crafty peeps on your toes and in the flow, the folks over at Scrap-A-Doodle Doo are sponsoring a two-fold monthly sketch challenge replete with lots of chances to win cool prizes! :)

This month's sketch was designed by yours truly and should be nice and simple to follow:

So now all YOU have to do is follow along with the sketch, upload a picture of your creation to the blog, and then check back on March 1st for the next sketch... Winners will be posted by March 15th. (Oh, and make sure you are a follower of the blog to qualify as well!).

The BEST part is that you have TWO ways to win... First by doing what I outlined above. SECOND is if you have a chance to visit the brick and mortar store, you can swing by the Doo, say I sent you, and then pick up one of the special Sketchy kits for five bucks. Use that kit to create your masterpiece based of the sketch above and then drop off your creation to the Doo when you are done. I will take photos or you can post your own photo to the blog as well. You will be entered to win for the online AND the in store drawings... The online winner will receive a $10 gift certificate for use at the Doo, and the winner of the kit-based project will win a $15  gift certificate to the store. You can use those certificates to buy ANYTHING in the entire store. I mean, it doesn't get much better than that! :) 

SOOOO, our design team has worked on creating inspiration, so I'll show you what I came up with... THEN head on over to the Doo blog and check out Sherri's masterpiece (seriously, the woman is TALENTED!!!)... THEN go to your scrap happy place and get to work! :) 

For this layout, I used:

       

I am submitting this to Craft Us Crazy for their "cutting" challenge (used the Cricut for the title!).