Sparkle Celebrate...Winnie & Walter Rerun~Sparkle

Hello,

We're off to bike races in the next while, returning late, so I'm dashing in with my card created for Winnie & Walter Rerun #12~Sparkle

The DT cards offered marvelous incentive to use this set, as well as a few other W&W products that reside in my stash:

Here's my card...a bit of night-sky celebration fireworks....(Celebrate, cut with gold shimmer cardstock, is found here; the stitched background panels, here).

Hoping to finish up a card and post before we go...time's a tickin'...

Thank you for spending time with me today; your visit brings me joy!

Flower Love You...Just Us Girls #354~Let's Hear it for the Girls, Colour Throwdown #403~Peach, Yellow, Light Pink, White

(Second post today. My Inkspirational Challenges #114~Word Prompt: Dip post is here)

Hello,

Once again, I'm delighted to be Guest Designing with the Just Us Girls team for Just Us Girls #354~Wild Card Week: Let's Hear it for the Girls.

I confess: the 'girl' theme threw me for a while, which is curious, given most of my cards 'are' girly (d-uh!), but fortunately, Colour Throwdown #403~Peach, Yellow, Light Pink & White came to the rescue: 

Peach, light pink, yellow...and flowers...in my world, that's 'girl'!  Ideas sparked...and off I went...

Last week, I shared with you my Concord and 9th Flutter die with a 'masculine' twist; this week, the companion Floral die finally makes its debut....

Here, the theme colours serve as the background...

and here, they serve as the foreground.

Hope my 'girl' cards make you smile...and I hope they create the same response in the two 'gals' I'm planning to send them to...

At this point, it's time to bid 'farewell' to my guest designing role *wipes away tears*  I've enjoyed, immensely, the opportunity to play with this incredible group of gals not once, but FIVE times!  Feeling might spoiled...and incredibly honoured!  To the Just Us Girls team:  Thank you for having me! You are all absolutely awesome!  'Bye for now...but you'll certainly be seeing me in your gallery...hugs!

Hope you'll play along! Let's hear it for the girls!!

Thank you for spending time with me today; your visit brings me joy!

A Dip in the Ocean...Inkspirational Challenge #114~Word Prompt: Dip, Simon Says Wednesday Challenge~Anything Goes, Get Creative Challenge #44~Lots of Blue, Words 2 Craft By #31~Just Keep Swimming

Hello,

Another two weeks has whizzed by (wait a minute...the entire month has whizzed by!) and it's time for my amazing DT and I to welcome you to Inkspirational Challenge #114~Word Prompt: Dip

Dip...yep, that's right. Dip. I won't bore you with a discussion of how many interpretations crossed my mind ( including thinking about some of the 'dips' I've met in my travels *grin*), but since I didn't have chip-and-dip images, or fancy dance move images, or "dipping below something" ideas, I went with what stuck in my mind from the first time I saw the prompt: a "dip" in the ocean. Couldn't get beyond it...so, I heeded the call.  

Yes, my Hero Arts Layered Seahorse set has received several play dates of late, but...I love it! Hope you'll bear with just one more little creation...

A seahorse shaker that makes me smile and yes, my husband has given it a shake-a-roo and has pronounced it in 'fine working order'. As I mentioned previously, he really 'does' have a thing for shaker cards...tee hee!

For more inspiration, please visit the Inkspirational gals to see how they 'dipped' into this challenge:

Marina

Shauna 

Sandie

Yvonne

Nonni

Pia

Kim

Your turn!  

Looking forward to seeing your dip-themed projects in the gallery!

Also dipping over to: (okay, okay...I'll stop it...)

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge~Anything Goes

Get Creative Challenge #44~Lots of Blue

Words 2 Craft By #31~Just Keep Swimming

So glad you spent part of your day with me; your visit brings me immense joy!

Tropical x Two (Penguin and Flamingo)...The Heart Desires Challenge #2~Colours, Tropical, Sketch, Cards in Envy~It's A Heat Wave, STAMPlorations~Anything Goes Challenge

Hello!

Popping in quickly before yet another thunderstorm makes its presence felt and, along with the wind, rain and lightning, the inevitable internet disruption. Again! Anyway...enough 'grrrr'...because I have some 'tropical' weather cards for you (the 'nice' tropical weather kind...gentle rains and breezes...the scent of flowers...drinks with umbrellas, sipped under a canopy overlooking a beach...).

Both my exceedingly simple cards were inspired by The Heart Desires Challenge #2~Colours, Tropical, Sketch

First is my chillin' penguin; I think all the sketch and colour components, interpreted in my typical abstract fashion, are there....

Second is my sweet flamingo, with a nod to four colours (my sentiment is in deep blue) and the theme.  One of my favourite STAMPlorations stencils came out to play as well...

Okay,  off to close some windows...the rains are here!!

Also sharing at:

Cards in Envy~It's A Heat Wave

STAMPlorations~Anything Goes Challenge

Thank you for sharing part of your day with me; your visit brings me joy!

Unicorn Dream...Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge~Unicorn

Hello,

Well, we are in the midst of technology service provider issues! Seriously frustrating. Last night, we were without TV, internet and land-line acces for three hours.  Hopefully, we'll see improvements today, but just in case:  two super quick posts from me (do I hear cheering? *grin*)

Isn't the inspiration photo over at Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge~Unicorn marvelous? Pretty and whimsical....

Here's my interpretation...

Isn't that Dream die (Serendipity Stamps) cut pretty?  And, since I'm smitten with my awesome unicorn die (a gift from an incredibly sweet, talented blogging friend!), I made a second (Imagine, Inks Spots from Serendipity Stamps).

NOTE: Honoured and delighted to be selected as a Curtain Call Show Stopper!  THANK YOU!! The DT comments make me smile...mega-watt smile!

Apparently, I'm really smitten, because a third happened...

That's it for my unicorn cards. The first two are being mailed off today: one for my sweet little niece,  Ms T, and one for my husband's beautiful niece, Ms. W. She's 19 and LOVES unicorns). 

I'll leave you with this...

Too funny!!

Thank you for spending time with me today; your visit brings me joy!

You can do Anything...CASology Week 207

Hello

I can NOT believe that the Tour de France wrapped up today! Where has the last three weeks gone! Withdrawal about to set in because I LOVE the Tour.  On top of it being over *sob*, to my chagrin, the rider I selected to win did not, despite all my cheering and encouraging (yes, I do, on occasion, get rather animated with what's happening on the TV screen *grin*). My husband's choice did win. I owe him a big ol' Dairy Queen Blizzard!  We did not negotiate one spoon or two...since I'm buying there will definitely be TWO spoons!   Fortunately, we have three days of officiating at bike races coming up next weekend, so my 'missing the races' will be short-lived.

Anyway...I've created a card for  CASology Week 207, which had me pondering a few directions.

I finally decided on a 'pick-me-up' card for someone going through a 'rough' patch. A couple of encouraging sentiments, paired with stamped polka-dots.  Polka-dots...little circles of 'happy'. Hopefully, my card 'works' and that your spirits are a little brighter in having seen it...

That's all....*waving*

Thank you for spending time with me today; your visit brings me joy!

Butterfly Striped Love You...Guest Designer Just Us Girls Challenge #353~Photo Inspiration, Simon Says Wednesday Challenge~Things with Wings

Hello,

I’m thrilled to be, once again, joining the Just Us Girls team as their July Guest Designer.  This week, Just Us Girl #353~PhotoWeek invites us to draw inspiration from this dapper, handsome image.  Manly marvelous, right?

My stash doesn’t really offer an abundance of guy-themed images (well, I do have little dinos, but they were a no-go for this event), so I adapted….

Yes…a shaker, with a Concord and Ninth butterfly and sentiment (and my 'watercolour' strip stamp). This may not necessarily be 100% ‘guy’ but…close enough.  My husband liked it, and though he would never confess, in public, to liking shakers, he gives them a good rattle when he thinks I’m not within sound or view.  He’s been caught on a couple occasions, with the excuse of ‘just seeing if everything is in working order’.  Too funny…

To all my wonderful friends, I truly do love you!  Lots!! 

Once again, THANK YOU to the amazing Just Us Girls team for this fourth outing with you! So. Much. Fun!

Hope you'll play along in this photo challenge!  So many possibilities...

Also sharing at:

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge~Things with Wings

Thank you for spending part of your day with me; your visit brings me joy!

Thank You Wreath....Guest Designer Uniko Challenge #34~Flowers, Muse Challenge

Hello!

Once again, I'm honoured and delighted to be joining Bev and her team, as a guest designer,

 over at Uniko for a reminder post about the current Uniko Challenge #34~Flowers.  

My card's  layout took several cues from Muse Challenge #175, where Jenni treated us to this floral delight:

the circle, the flowers along the edge and an inside-the-circle sentiment.  The flowers are actually a lovely winter-themed set - Background Builders: Vines Winter Additions - that I transformed into a summer wreath.  The sentiments are from Bright Butterflies (now retired, but gorgeous samples of the butterflies can be seen here) and Pure Floral: Gerbera.

A little set with mega possibilities. I can envision a Fall-themed wreath, with a simple change of colours, as well as a variety of Christmas showcases.

I hope you'll bring out your flower images and play along with us!  All the details are at the Uniko blog, together with all kinds of flower inspiration from the talented Design Team. Please be sure to take a look; you will be dazzled!  The deadline for submission is midnight (BST) on Friday 12th August (7.00pm EDT).

See you in the gallery!

Thank you for spending part of your day with me; your visit brings me joy!!

Mission Accomplished! My Favourite Things Camp Create Session Two 2016, Seize the Birthday~Bold and Bright, The Daily Marker~30 Day Colouring Challenge

Hello,

I did it!! I completed My Favourite Things Camp Create Session Two 2016,

which is also the FIRST time I've ever played in a MFT challenge of any nature!  I had a blast, even though, on a few occasions I wanted to write that 'come and take me home' note. A little 'walk it off' time, a fresh perspective and a couple chocolates made everything better. The best part: five cards that, for the most part, I'm happy with and opportunity to try new techniques and/or see products in new ways. I don't have a very expansive MFT collection, so that was another aspect of the challenge that had my dendrites tumbling!

I'm well aware that my cards are 'nothing new under the sun', but they're 'firsts' for me and that counts for a little something, right? Right!

Anyway...here we go....

MFT Camp Create Fantastic Foiling: no foil apparatus (what is the plural of apparatus? Apparati?), so I used shimmer paper and white embossing as my 'shining' stuff for my Roses All Over Background and Amazing pairing. I like this one...4.5/5 stars

 MFT Camp Create Colouring on Kraft. What fun I had, colouring up my musical bunnies and instruments from Strike Up the Band. No sentiment outside; I'll choose one later for the inside.  I like this one, too; 4.5/5 stars

MFT Camp Create Background Bonanza had me a bit stymied, so I opted for 'bright', plain old marker colouring, using images from Penguins in Paradise. I'm all good with the bold colours, for the most part, but not so much with the layout and the sentiment. Kind of "meh", but fun to make. 3/5 stars.

MFT Camp Create Inlaid Made Easy was an opportunity to use my new Stitched Cover-up Companion die, the Roses All Over Background, embossed and coloured with Zigs and a sentiment from Spring Wreath.  The framing paper has a lovely, creamy-coloured texture. I'm happy with this one: 4.5/5

MFT Camp Create Magnificent Masking! ACK! I had trouble figuring out what the requirements were for this challenge, based on the video, so I went with my concentric circle stencil masked into sections, each one sponged with an alternating sequence of Picked Raspberry, Carved Pumpkin and Abandoned Coral distress inks. It seemed an inviting place for a birthday bear, so add one I did; a polar bear, to be precise *grin*  First outing for my bear set; then need way more play dates. This card makes me happy!! 4.75/5 stars.

Whew!  I think I've earned a S'mores (or 10) after all this!  Already looking forward to the next camp...

Since some form of colouring appeared on each card, I'm sharing over at Kathy's The Daily Marker 30 Day Colouring Challenge

My Bears card is heading over to Seize the Birthday~Bold and Bright

Thank you for spending part of your day with me; your visit brings me joy!!