fresh & fun

Jeanne Streiff posted today’s challenge. She wanted us to get inspired by this purse:

The purse immediately reminded me of the gorgeous Tres Jolie paper I bought when I went shopping back in San Antonio with Jenn. I love that paper and can’t wait to get more when Joy and Daisy finally stock it in their store!!!

I pulled out the paper and decided to put it on my entire card front. I  needed a relatively big image to make the stripes not look overpowering. The sweet Inky Attics turtle I got from Jennifer as a birthday present was still sitting on my table. Rebecca made her birthday invitations yesterday with that image (and lots of bright gel pen colors and big amounts of glitter….she called them their wacky turtles).

I cut out a circle out of watercolor paper, stamped the turtle with black Palette ink and sprayed the paper with my water bottle to wet the paper a little. Then I colored the image with Stampin’ Up!’s classic reinkers. For the bottom part I mixed a drop of bordering blue with a drop of taken with teal to try to match the color of the paper.

My card base is a 5 1/2″ x 11″ chocolate chip retangle folded in half. The front is scored one inch in and folded over. I stamped the fold over with Paisley background in chocolate chip. I used the cutting tool kit from Stampin’ Up! to distress the edges. On the inside of the card is a  5 1/4″ square of the same paper as in the front. It is double sided and I used the other side for the inside.

I paper pierced around the image and on the right side of the inside to tie in the stitches on the purse. The paper piercing looked a little sad on the main image, so I decided to add a kind of Morse code border.

I had planned to place the flower on the right hand side of the image and the saying on the bottom left. Well….while taping the turtle image down I smudged the image with  some chocolate chip ink I had on my fingers (ARRGGHGHHH). So I switched it around. The flower went on the top left of the image, and I had to move the saying to the right. I decided to make a buckle card. I used a 1″ x 3″ strip of watercolor paper, rounded the edges with the round tab punch, stamped paisley with bashful blue and then watercolored over it with the same color. Once it was dry I stamped Thinking of you (Wordsworth) on it. The buckle is only held by the ribbon, which is…of course…May Arts ribbon.

If you are interested in a tutorial for the Explosion box card, click on More. I don’t want to post a big long thread on the front page, so I don’t clog up the email of my subscribers.

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Those Crafty Secret stamps are GORGEOUS! (If you are looking for them, check out SweetMissDaisy’s online store. She has lots of gorgeous Crafty Secrets merchandise. ) I had to try out my new Cherub set.

I wanted to write this tutorial for my blog since two fresh and fun freebies ago. Well…today I took pictures for it. I thought I share the final project with you now….and then write the tutorial. I hope to have it posted tonight!

This is the top view of the box. I love that little Cherub. I got the set because my MIL LOVES cherubs. Loves them, loves, them, LOVES THEM. (you know….we crafters never run out of excuses why we need something!) I didn’t think I would like it as much as I did. The set comes with some three adorable cherubs, smaller swirls (like the corner ones on top and the middle edges of the lid) as well as bigger ones ( box bottom), angel wings, the word Love and a heart.

I stamped my little cheeky cherub on watercolor paper with black Palette ink. It really works well with acrylic stamps. Much better then black stazon. Then I colored the cutie in with blush blossom for his skin, skin shading and wings with pretty in pink, hair with more mustard and close to cocoa, book with creamy caramel and surrounding space with bashful blue classic ink and aqua painter (all Stampin’ Up! products).  I sprayed my watercolor paper with my water mist bottle before I started coloring. I layered the image on on a black Mega Oval Scallop punchout from Urchida.

The lid top is made with Tres Jolie paper from My Mind’s Eye. I can’t wait for Daisy and Joy to get their My Mind’s Eye order into their store!!!!

The bottom of the box is made with Always Artichoke cardstock by Stampin’ Up!. I stamped the bigger swirl on it with Black VersaMagic Dew Drop ink.

I cut the lid edges with a scallop scissor and added the scallop border stamp with the Black Dew drop.

How sweet is that! I got tagged by

 Jennifer - Doodleblog

Rachel - Inspirations by Rachel

I think I have to play tag again as well. I love so many blogs that it is very hard to pick anyone. We all love Debbie Olson, Ellen Hutson, Julie Ebersole, Amy Rysavy and Erika Martin. They made blogging so super popular. There are also the amazing Cambria, Sharon , Taylor,  Michelle and Kimberly.  I could go on and on. You can tell from this list, that I don’t have special favorites. I love all the blogs listed on my blog roll. I love going blog hopping and checking out what everyone has been up to……But today I want to share with you special blogging friends of mine. We are in an online group together and those girls rock!

Kendra Wietstock - Paper Dreams

Liza Zappa - Shabbychick Junk

Michelle Wooderson - MishMash

Pam Hooten - Iris Garden

Valerie Stangle - { Stampin’ gal Val }

Yesterday I received such a sweet RAK from Susanna Boyd. Not just her card, but her note inside made me all verklempt.

The bella bookmark detaches from the card and it reveals Life is a beach. She also send a matching tag with my address on it. I am sooooo ready for the beach! Thank you Susanna.

Check out her blog The Barefoot Stamper.