Think fast! (CPS Day #15)

As you know, ideas for cards can come from anywhere...well, this idea actually started with a piece of trash that blew into our backyard. It was one of the first bitterly blustery days of Winter, and when I took the dogs out I found an empty package for a nylon Ninja Face Mask, which sparked my imagination... Originally I was going to use the actual packaging for this card, but it proved too fragile. For better or worse, if you can imagine it you can find it on the internet, so I found a Ninja Clipart download site with great free images. My husband helped me settle on the sentiment:

CPS Sketch #231

I used Sketch #231 from Day 15 of the CPS 5th Anniversary Celebration, which worked perfectly for my sliding sentiment. (All my cards for the CPS Celebration are archived here.)

I decided to go with a black-and-white scheme, and I wanted it shiny so I printed it on photo paper. I designed it all in Adobe InDesign... I even worked the Gradient tool! The diamond pattern is actually a series of lines ("Strokes"). The footprints are from the Ninja Clipart download site, as are the throwing stars that I used to make the little flower (this makes me SO happy!) I resisted the urge to use a ninja-style font and went with Pea Whitney Rae, one of the free handwriting fonts available from Kevin and Amanda.

I printed the ninja image twice, and popped it up with foam tape. The ribbon is white silk, which seemed appropriate!

This was inspired by the following challenges:

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #61: Monochrome Magic
CPS 5th Anniversary Day 15: Sketch #231

BINGO Challenge at Dude Time Doodles

This week at the Dude Time Doodles challenge blog we're playing BINGO!

I chose the right-to-left diagonal row: twine, step card & brads.

Wait till you see the DT cards...Wowza! Hope you'll join us. One lucky winner will receive Two images from Pattie's Creations.

I made this card with the Rodeo Randy set from Dude Time Doodles, for my husband to give to his brother on the occasion of the birth of his son (my husband's nephew)!

I'm entering this in the following challenges:

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #59: No Floral Embellishments

One Stitch at a Time Challenge #96: Anything Goes
Crafty Calendar January Challenge: New News
Cards for Men: Boys & their Toys
Pattie's Creations Design Challenge: Fancy Folds

Stamps: Rodeo Randy set from Dude Time Doodles

Paper: DP from stash, Recollections

Tools: Zip Dry glue, glue dots, Fiskars papercutter & finger knife, MS detail scissors, HP printer & ink, hole punch

Embellishments: Recollections embossing powders, stash eyelets, watercolor pencils, Sakura gel pens, Copics for edging, bakers twine, Recollections brads

Happy Divorce!

Despite all one's wisdom & best intentions, sometimes Life Happens. My friend's marriage ended suddenly three years ago, and she's really risen to the challenge and is doing great. The breakup took about a year, but since then they've just been going through the legal hoops (expensive hoops!) to end the legal part of the union. Well, I was talking to her yesterday & she said that next week it will be final. Whoo-hoo! She said that if she had the time (she's a mom, who has the time?!) she might throw a party or something, so I thought I'd make her a card. I know she'll get a huge kick out of it. Transition is tough, and people who get through it even stronger certainly deserve a card!

I was inspired by the following challenges:

Fetch-a-Sketch #10

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #55: Brown, Cream, Pink

Craft Your Passion #83: Anything Goes + Brown

Stamp: Our Betty by Funky Hand


Update 11/18/11: Thank you all for your lovely comments on this card. And thank you Crafty Cardmakers for choosing it for your Top 5 for Challenge #55!

Soft Spotlight on Inchies

I was excited to see the Crafty Cardmakers Spotlight Challenge on Inchies, because I really needed an excuse to try this very groovy technique. Folks come up with the most gorgeous, incredible ideas for this simple concept, but I'm pretty happy with how mine turned out too. Thanks for the inspiration!
I only used 2 papers (kraft & white) and 4 inks (Peeled Paint, Antique Linen, soft brown, and watermark), plus clear-embossing. There's some emboss-resisting going on as well. For the inchies, I ink-distressed the white pieces with Antique Linen and then clear-embossed the stamp with watermark ink. I had planned on adding some ink afterwards, but the contrast came out so well that I kept it. The mats are inked in corresponding colors.

Inspiration:
Crafty Cardmakers Spotlight Challenge: Inchies

Supplies: Asian by Design & Asian Influences stamp sets by Inkadinkado, sentiment from Regal Greetings set by {ippity} Stamps, Recollections cardstock, Tim Holtz Distress Inks, Martha Stewart detailing scissors and chalk ink, Fiskars papercutter and deckle scissors, Stampendous clear embossing powder, Marvy heat tool, stash twine


Update 6/5/11: My goodness, this card won the Crafty Cardmakers Spotlight on Inchies Challenge!

Bottle Cap Robots

One of my favorite creative things to do is to combine several challenges to create one card. My only problem is making the deadlines, as I tend to overthink these sorts of projects!
I just had to try this week's PaperWorks Co. (PWCO) Sunday Sketch; I liked the idea of making a "skinny" card. Then I saw the Circles Challenge at Cards for Men, and decided it was the perfect opportunity to use my new $1 circle-background stamp. Hmm, I always forget how difficult it is to line up rubber stamps...the border took me a few tries. Of course I wanted to heat-emboss it, so I stamped it in watermark ink, which meant that it was also invisible, which didn't help the lining-up problem.

Somewhere in there I discovered the Bottletops Challenge at Crafty Cardmakers (love the new look, ladies!) and decided it was fate: a chance to use some of those bottlecaps I save! I pulled three bronze-and-black caps (Monteith's beer...I don't remember when we had that! Luckily I'm very good at popping off tops without bending the cap; I never manage to buy screw-off tops!) and worked around that color scheme.

To pop the images, I cut up a cork (one of those non-cork plastic ones, which which like a dream), and glued it in after putting a hole in the cap with my Crop-O-Dile punch. Because I like things to move, I included brads so that the caps move together like gears.

I made this card with my best friend from college in mind; his favorite color is orange, and I've found that it always makes a good "splash" color.

Thanks everyone for the inspiration: I had tons of fun making this!

Inspiration:
Crafty Cardmakers Spotlight Challenge: Bottletops
Cards for Men Challenge #9: Circles
PWCO Challenge: Sunday Sketch #79

Supplies: StudioG rubber stamps, Stampendous embossing powder, Versamark watermark ink, Marvy heat tool, MS detailing scissors, Recollections cardstock, ZipDry glue

Like a Rhinestone Cowgirl

I was totally excited to see the current challenges at Crafty Cardmakers (fairies & 2 punches) and Drunken Stampers (Rhinestone Cowgirl), because it gave me an excuse to use the sweet Angel Cheyene digi stamp by PaperFacesDesigns and my border punch. As you can tell, I had TOO much fun! The idea to put PFD's logo in the kerchief was respectfully scraplifted from Jeannie of the Polka Cabana (from her gorgeous project for PFD's Blue Challenge; There's still time to enter, no deadline!), and the pattern is the corner stamp from the K&Company Lotus Floral set. Who would've thunk it? My husband actually owns a much-traveled handkerchief that looks a lot like this one.

Thanks for the inspiration...this is another card I never thought I'd make!

Digi stamp: Angel Cheyene by PaperFacesDesigns

Inspiration:
Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #40: Fairies & at least 2 paper punches
Drunken Stampers Challenge #56: Rhinestone Cowgirl

Supplies: Core'dinations, Hammermill and Recollections cardstocks, MS detailing scissors, gemstones and border punch, ZipDry glue, HP printer & ink, Adobe InDesign and Rosewood typeface, Fiskars papercutter and circle punches, InkItUp! inks, corner stamp from K&Co. Amy Butler Lotus Floral set, Stampendous white embossing powder, Marvy heat tool, Michaels cord, Sakura Gelly Roll glitter pen, emery board, Sculpey clay

Copic markers:
vest: E17, E37, 0, E51
skin: RV21, E50, E11, E51, E33
jeans: B32, B23, B05, B39
T-shirt & belt: C-1, C-5, C-7
hat & kerchief: V17, BV08, V06, BV04