Power Poppy Challenge {Just for You}

Tonight I wanted to play along with the month long challenge at Power Poppy. The challenge is called "Stretch Yourself" to create a Tall Card and to do something or use something new! Well, I decided to ink up a new Stampin' Up rose stamp that I recently purchased for the first time!

Using Ranger Archival Ink, I stamped the rose onto watercolour paper. Then I watercoloured the image with distress inks...using pink, red and green. Then I stamped some french script and ink spots from an old set called "Fall Foliage". I stamped the background and sponged the edges in River Rock. A simple. vellum butterfly with two rhinestones finishes it off!

My poor camera is without batteries and I didn't charge them this week...so I am using my phone to take the photos. A little darker than usual. I hope you don't mind!

Happy weekend! I hope you get the chance to get crafty!

Gallery Idol Round 3 {Masked Roses}

Hello and welcome! I am absolutely thrilled and honored to be in Round 3 for Gallery Idol! Thank you to everyone who voted in Round 2 and for all of your comments and support! They mean a lot to me!

This round, our challenge is to make your own stamped background. I decided to create a background using the "Masking" Technique. 

Here are the "masks" I made and used to create my card.

To do the masking technique:

1. I used Post it Notes. (they are good for sticking)
2. Stamp the rose image onto the post it note and fussy cut them out.
3. I used 2 different roses-but created 3 rose "masks".
4. Then I stamped one rose image on my white cardstock background.
5. Then, using the post it note mask, I covered that stamped rose on the white paper and then stamped another rose over top of it. So it looked like the roses were in a bunch.
6. I actually masked 2 flowers at once, when adding the leaves to the background.

I decided to use a pretty Rose stamp set made by Flourishes and used a sentiment from a Simon Says Stamp set. My roses are coloured with Copic Markers and I used Memento Black Ink to stamp the roses and the sentiment. I then punched out a butterfly in Daffodil Delight cardstock and another butterfly in vellum, so soften it. To tie in the black accents, I added three small black pearls.

I hope you like my Round 3 Card for Gallery Idol. 

If you would like to vote for my card or for any of the participant's cards, 

please CLICK HERE to vote!!!

Thank you for your support and love!!! 

{Supplies Used}

Stamps: Simon Says Stamp and Flourishes

Inks: Memento Tuexedo Black Ink, Copic Markers

Papers: Daffodil Delight (SU!), Black, White (Flourishes), Vellum

Extras: Butterfly Punch (SU!), Black Pearls

Merry Monday #40-{Merry and Bright} and welcome to Featured Designer Margaret Moody!

If you are looking for the winners of last week's sketch, please CLICK HERE.

Welcome to another week at Merry Monday!  The idea behind this challenge is to get a head start on your Christmas cards!  Each week, I choose one Merry Monday Winner who will then be a Guest Designer for a future challenge!  So get out your Christmas supplies and let's get to work! Our sketch this week is open to interpretation...what shape will you use on your card?

I am excited to welcome Sherry Eckblad to our Merry Monday design team! Sherry has been an avid participant of our challenge and I was so happy when she agreed to join us! Welcome Sherry!

November is here and we have a brand new Featured Designer to inspire you! Welcome to the lovely Margaret Moody! I am happy to have Margaret designing with us this month, I admire her work so much! I asked her to share a bit about herself!

Margaret Moody  Hello, Merry Monday followers!  I'm Margaret Moody and I'm thrilled that Lesley has asked me to be the Featured Designer for November at Merry Monday!  I'm a native Texan and the mother of two beautiful daughters who are students at The University of Texas at Austin (Hook 'Em Horns)!  I've taught in public schools for 24 years and currently work as a reading specialist for a local school district.  In addition, I've done graphic design work for 29 years, designing t-shirts, logos, signs, menus and brochures for individual clients, churches, schools and clubs.  I've been smitten with anything paper from an early age when a very special aunt would take me to stationery and card shops during our many shopping trips together.  The fascination continued into adulthood and I started scrapbooking when my girls were younger, eventually moving into card marking.  I currently serve on the design team for Pals Paper Arts and create the sketches for the PPA Sketch Challenge each month.  I am so honored to share my cards with you this month and hope you find them inspiring!

Thank you so much Margaret! We are looking forward to an awesome month with you! The design team has been busy and they have some gorgeous samples to share with you!

For my card I decided to ink up a new stamp set for me called "Poinsettia and Pine" by Flourishes. I inked the stamp in Memento Tuxedo Black ink and coloured with Copics. I stamped the sentiment right on the designer paper. I am also playing along with Flourishes Timeless Tuesday, where the image is partly cut off...my poinsettia doesn't quite fit the circle...

{Supplies Used}

Stamps: Poinsettia and Pine (Flourishes)

Ink: Memento Black Tuxedo, Copics

Paper: Be of Good Cheer and Soft Subtles Designer Pack (SU!), Flourishes White CS

Extras: White Satin Ribbon (SU!)

LeAnne Pugliese	Bonnie Klass	Nina Forsyth
Wendy Aungst	Narelle Farrugia	Allisa Chilton
Sue Joyce	Sherry Eckblad	Margaret Moody

CAS(E) this Sketch {Believe} and Timeless Tuesday {Winter}

Edited to add: I was floored this morning when I saw that my card was chosen this week at CAS(E) this Sketch! Thank you so much ladies for the shout out! You have no idea how amazing this is for me! Wow!!!

Wow! The new CAS(E) this Sketch has really got my creative juices flowing! I saw the sketch and immediately my mind thought of the beautiful Santa Set from Flourishes. I had to ink it up! So I used some Early Espresso Ink on Vanilla Paper, Cherry Cobbler for the Sentiment and some My Mind's Eye DSP for the red matting. This card took me minutes to create...I love that and it is nice and flat, so easy to mail off. It is amazing how a sketch can really let you think outside of the box! I am wondering if I should have added some paper piercing or brads? But I love the simplicity...hmm...maybe some other colour choices? So many possibilities!  I also played along with the current Timeless Tuesday Challenge, All About Winter. Santa sums up winter for me!!!

I am also playing along with:

ABC Christmas Challenge-Anything Goes for Christmas

Flourishes, Play Date Cafe, There She Goes {It Isn't the End}

Supplies

Stamps: Pursuit of Happiness (SU), Cherry Blossoms (Flourishes)

Papers: Bazzill Basics (Vintage Marketplace), Flourishes Ivory Cardstock, Lucky Limeade & Basic Gray (SU!)

Inks: Memento Black, Copics, Basic Gray (SU!)

Extras: Big Shot, Embossing Folder, Baja Breeze Ribbon, Hat Pin

Another post for today...I love having a free day to stamp! Yippee!  This card began with the colours at the Play Date Cafe, then I noticed that the gals over at There She Goes have a  "Metal" Challenge...I have NEVER used a Hat Pin before and I tend to avoid using Ribbon...but this card will be hand delivered and so I do not need to worry about fitting that bow into an envelope!  So thank you ladies for the inspiration and the push out of my comfort zone!  I created this card for my dear friend who is going through some tough times, the challenge over at Flourishes is to create a card for a Friend (perfect!). This helped me to choose my stamp set today. I used their pretty "Cherry Blossoms" set and Stampin' Up's "Pursuit of Happiness" set for the sentiment...

Friday Mashup #40-{Happy Birthday to You!}

Friday is here! Hooray! It has been a long week back to work but it has been fun too! I am also back at the Friday Mashup after a month off, it is so nice to get back with my Mashup pals!  This week our fearless leader Holly has a terrific Birthday Challenge and I was so happy to be able to break into my new stamp set from Flourishes that I got over Christmas! Yippee!  It was my hubby's 40th birthday yesterday and my mom's s coming soon, so this challenge was perfect!

So here is the "Mashup" Challenge :

1. Make a "Birthday" project.
2. Or Make a project using "Pastels/Chalks or Pastel Colors".
3. Or "Mash it Up" and create a "Birthday project using Pastels" .

This month we have both Susan Joyce and Teresa Kline on our team as Guest Designers!  Welcome ladies!!!

We hope that you will join the Friday Mashup Challenge this week!  Please be sure to visit the other DT Members to see their wonderful creations!  I am also entering this into the current Simon Says "Something New" Challenge, showing off my Christmas goodies!


Thanks for stopping by!
Smiles,
Lesley


Supplies:
Stamps: Inspired by Nature, Flourishes
Inks: Copics, Calyspso Coral (for sentiment)
Paper: My Mind's Eye, Kraft, White, Fancy Pants Love Story
Extras: MFT Dienamics Medium scallop,  Circle Punch

Freshly Made Sketches #16-A Sketch by Tui Nathan

We are back to sketches at Freshly Made Sketches. This week, the lovely Tui has created a wonderful sketch that holds many possibilities!!!  I am so happy to use my new Christmas goodies! For the base of my card I used My Mind's Eye {Lost and Found} pre-folded cards. I am in LOVE with these cards and have been using them quite a bit! There are 50 in the pack with envelopes! So fun!

One of my resolutions this year is to try some more challenges...so that means I am playing along with Flourishes Bring Back Beautiful this week, they are asking for bling.  I went for it and played along! I added some bling in the form of rhinetsones on my butterflies. I also decided to play along with There She Goes and show them my new stamping supplies and also my resolution to play along with other challenges!





My good friend Jen also pointed out that the Colour Throwdown is holding the perfect colour challenge for this card! I saw that last night and decided to add my card to their linky!!

I hope you get the chance to join in with all of these challenges this week. Thank you so much for stopping by and please be sure to check out all the design team samples of these teams. Also I would like to welcome Nina and Jen to our team for January, we are excited to have you onboard!

Freshly Made Sketches Design Team

Lesley Croghan 
Linda Callahan 
Cindy Hall 
Tui Nathan 
Jennifer Timko 
Rita Wright
Nina Forsythe
Jen Sannes

Thanks for stopping by!!!
Lesley