Final JUGS Challenge for 2014

Hi Everyone!

Are you recovering from Christmas?  Or maybe you are recovering from standing in return lines today! I hope you had a wonderful, joyous Christmas, no matter how you celebrated!
Are you ready to get back to your craft room for a little unwinding?  Just Us Girls has a wonderful Inspiration Photo for us, this, the final week of 2014~

There are so many elements to love and to be inspired by here.  I was inspired by both the colors and the circles.

I was in need of a special Thank You card for a special little guy at school.  The inspiration photo, combined with the fun new stamp set from MFT was the perfect fit. 

I am linking this card up to Christmas Card Challenges #3- Inspiration Photo Penguin.  Yes, I am aware that this is not a penguin!  It does not have to be for their challenge, but the design of the inspiration photo inspired me and a polar bear is still an arctic critter! 

I stamped the darling image and then masked it.  Masked off the lower portion of the panel and sponged in the grey sky.  Then masked off the sky and sponged in the water.  Next, I used a home made circle template and added circles using white craft ink.  I started large and worked my way down in size.  The last circles were made just by pressing with an inked sponge dauber onto the background. 
There is a bitty snowflake stamp in the MFT set- I stamped it a few times with a glue pad and then added glitter to the snowflakes. 
The bear was stamped a second time, colored and then fussy cut out.  He is popped up on dimensionals.  The sentiment is heat embossed in white. 
Simon Says Stamp's final challenge of the year is 'Anything Goes', so I am linking up there as well. 

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a blessed weekend! 

Lee Ann  :)

Going Bright with Just Us Girls!

Hello Again!

It is Color Challenge week at Just Us Girls and have the girls got some vivid ones!

So these colors are a little- no, a LOT- out of my comfort zone!  I am not one to use alot of vivid, bright, pinkie, purplie colors!  LOL!  Thus, this was a true challenge, but it was also perfect for my brand new Reverse Confetti Stamp Set,  Fabulous Flamingo.

Perfect, right?  I love these fun flamingos.  It is so tempting to stamp them all in the usual pink but the color challenge and the sentiment pushed me to try something different, so the 'different' one is blue!
The background flamingos are stamped in a couple of retired shades of SU pink.  Legs are Blushing Bride.  Mr. Blue is Tempting Turquoise and Island Indigo and is die cut out with the coordinating Confetti Cuts.  A little bit of masking of the sentiment allowed me to stretch out the sentiment onto a banner. The sequins, from Neat and Tangled, are both metallic and holographic, and the perfect colors for the challenge.
Be sure to check out all of the amazing inspiration from the uber talented design team!   I hope you join us and link up your vivid creation!

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a blessed week!

Lee Ann  :)

Mixing It Up with Just Us Girls!

Hi Everyone!

Boy, it is soooo good to be back amongst bloggers!  I have been without a computer for a couple of weeks and could hardly use the computer for about a month prior to that.  Needless to say, I am thrilled to have a functioning computer allowing me to follow blogs, leave comments, and participate in challenges!  And I have a bonus for the month of December- guest designing with the Design Team from the "Just Us Girls" Challenge!  I missed last week due to the whole computer thing, but this week I am ready to go!
So, I am jumping in here for Trend Week, and it is a fun one- mixed media!

I used several mediums for my card including ink mixed with alcohol to spritz, embossing paste, embossing powder and wood.

Being a little low on mojo, I used the versatile sketch at Retrosketches~

As you can see, I took a little creative license here; I flipped the sketch and substituted tree branches for the stripes. 
I used  Die-Namites Dies, the wonderful bird cage from Poppystamps, and the sentiment is from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps.  The bird cage is embossed with pewter embossing powder for wonderful shine.

I am also linking this up to the challenge at Poppystamps- Sparkle and Shine.  

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Have a blessed week,

Lee Ann  :)

Supplies Used-
Stamps- Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Tender Thoughts, SU Gorgeous Grunge
Ink- Island Indigo, Versamark
Paper- Calypso Coral, Pistachio, Blush Blossom, Baked Brown Sugar
Other- Poppystamps bird cage die, Die-Namites  Spring Blossom and Shady Tree, embossing paste, Pewter ep