chayoooo: Whimsical Wednesdays

Showing posts with label Whimsical Wednesdays. Show all posts

Monday, October 24, 2011

BBTB2 Happy Hauntings Witch Challenge

Happy Monday! Just one week to go until the big day and I've LOTS to do still. (Make that EVERYTHING to do still, I'm such a procrastinator and I've been a bit preoccupied! LOL) This week my dear friend and MSU alumni sister Susan has chosen the witch from Happy Hauntings for our BBTB2 challenge. I wasn't quite sure what to do with her until I was shopping in Target and saw some honeycomb tabletop decorations that reminded me of something I had as a child. That, combined with the Whimsical Wednesday challenge of Halloween Home Decor, led to this project.

Nothing fancy here. I just cut the witch and layers at 5 1/2 inches twice (once flipped) so it would be two sided. I kept the colors to a minimum to hopefully capture more of a vintage feel and embossed the cape and broom. The black layer is popped on both sides, as is the broom. Athough the orange base is also 2 layers, I should have cut it in chipboard for strength as she is adhered to the honeycomb by her foot and just the bottom of her dress. I wanted to be able to close the honeycomb for storage so I glued one side together (with the witch in place) and used some removeable tape and a paper clip underneath for the other. "Happy Halloween" is also from Happy Hauntings and I added tabs to it so it would just fit in the slots of the honeycomb for display instead of gluing it permanently.

I dug out the original hanging decoration to show you. (Couldn't get a pic so it's hanging from the cat pole but won't be staying there. LOL) This is truly vintage from the 50's and is a little worse for wear. Wish I'd been a bit more creative with my cut and I will probably try again as I'm not so pleased with it. I was trying to follow the challenge exactly, but I think I could have found a more vintage looking witch. My FAVE decor item I've made using a witch is HERE. I have trouble doing a second project when I've made one I love and I'm in a bit of a creative slump as I'm trying to get back on track with healthy eating and exercise (and no WINE!) to make up for the year and a half (or more) of crafting 24/7 and I'm sort of a crabby BI---, I mean WITCH! Sorry! My DT siters have done a much better job than I, so be sure to check out the rest of the DT at BBTB2 and we'd love it if you'd play along. Yo uhave 2 weeks to complete the challenge, please make it a new project and link back to BBTB2 and you may use any witch from any cart. I'm also entering it in the Getting Cricky Orange and Black (and only one other color) challenge.

Friday, September 30, 2011

Fabulous Inky Friday at Tiddly Inks

TGIF! Really! Not that the weekend is gonna be all that great either but... Obviously I'm still in a bit of a funk. Sorry, guys. I did manage a card though, for my Sweetie who does so much for me, even when I'm a crab cake. LOL The lovely image is Will You? from Tiddly Inks Victorian Gothic/Steampunk Release. Sooo romantic, no? I've colored them up with Copics in shades of brown for a vintage feel (except for the red hair, but I just HAD to make her red).

My original plan was to use one of the ADORABLE NEW SUGAR AND SPICE GIRLS but this sentiment was very timely this week so those cuties will be for another day. OOhh, I'm getting sort of misty here. Lotsa love goin' around.

The gorgeous papers are from DCWV Tattered Time stack and Tim Holtz Lost and Found. The mats are cut with Nesties Labels Seventeen and popped for dimension. The pearls are Recollections. Now pop on over to the Tiddly Inks Challenge Blog to see Some fab inspiration by our Tiddly fans and more of the Tiddly Inkers. If you're featured, you may grab bragging rights and a fab badge for your blog. Also, our current Acrylic Challenge is still going on and the projects there are AMAZING. And if you'd like to see a whle bunch of inspiration for the fab Sugar 'n Spice gals take a look at Christy's blog HERE. I'm also adding this to the Whimsical Wednesdays Anything Goes Challenge, the Delightful Pearls and Swirls Challenge and the For Fun Warmth Challenge. That's all for now.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Saturated Canary for Whimsical Wednesday

WooHoo, I was so excited when The Saturated Canary came out with digis. I bought a bunch but couldn't decide which to color until I saw the Whimsical Wednesday "Just Because" challenge. I colored up Hellokitty (oops, don't see her on there at the moment, but check back) but then couldn't figure out what to do with her. I've also been eyeing the Deconstructed Sketches from my TI DT sis Jenn and decided to play along. She's colored with Copics, and cut with Nesties, the DP is K&Co. The sentiment is Cuttlebug and the Card Candy is from my dear friend Chloe and Scrappy Go Lucky USA . I'm also entering this in the Cardmadfairie's Digi Days Lots of Layers Challenge and the Squiggles Stamps Autumnal Colors Challenge.

Friday, August 26, 2011

TOFF Steampunk Challenge and Whimsical Wednesday 3 Times a Charm

This is my second post for today, so if you're looking for my Bah! Humbug! Challenge, please scroll down.

WooHoo! I'm so excited to be a Guest Designer this week at The Octopode Factory Friday Challenge. You KNOW I love me some Octopode! this week's challenge is STEAMPUNK. Way too much fun! I happen to have ALL of Lily's Steampunk images, so choosing which to use was the biggest challenge. I also wanted to play with the Whimsical Wednesday 3 Times a Charm Challenge where you must use 3 colors only and 3 of the same embellishment.

It was Bernie, from the Steampunk Nippers set that gave me the idea for this project. Tell me he isn't the ultimate of paparazzi! I've welded "papa razzi" using letters from the Don Juan cartridge in Design Studio and embossed them with the Tim Holtz Retro Circles embossing folder.

Then I just HAD to use Flo with her built in paparazzi stopping eye. I just bet Lady Gaga is gonna figure out a way to copy her look. They were both printed on kraft card stock and colored with Copics. I've added Tim Holtz Sprockets to each and a Game Spinner to Flo's good eye. (Those are the 3 embellies for WW. Acutally I've used 3 sprockets twice.) The gears were cut with a Tim Holts Alterations Die by Sizzix and inked and embossed with Distress Embossing Powder in Vintage Photo.

The images and letters were popped with foam and the cool Idea-ology Film Strip Ribbon woven through. I kept the whole thing monochromatic to match the cool Steampunk DP from the DCWV Tattered Time Stack so my 3 colors are shades of kraft, gray, and black. Lily's fabulous DT has gorgeous eye candy this week (as always) so be sure to go have a look. Tell me this isn't a fun challenge. I just know you're gonna be playing along. And at Whimsical Wednesdays, there's still time to enter this challenges and there's another fab challenge to get your creative juices going as well.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

TOFF Girls, Girls, Girls and Whimsical Wednesday Fun With Folds

Well, I'm early (for me, anyway) for TOFF and almost late for Whimsical Wednesday. So happy I could combine them. The WW challenge is Fun With Folds and I've done a cool fold I learned from a former Cuttlebug Spot DT sister, Meredith, who seems to have stopped blogging so I no longer have a link to her tut. Bummer! It just so happened I had folded this card base awhile ago and it's been sitting on my desk since??? I added a Grand Oval and Scalloped Grand Oval to the center to back my images. The Octopode Factory Friday Challenge this week is Girls, Girls, Girls. As usual, I had a hard time deciding which images to use. I finally decided on Wendy, from the Peter Pan set, Posy, from the Steampunk Misses set, and Wednesday, from the Adams Family set. Don't they look like BFF's?

the girls were colored with Copics, and I just received some fabulous "bwainzzz" from my Minion sister Gloria's Etsy Shop. She's got all sorts of cool stuff over there, including jewelry, cards, ornaments, sculptures and more so be sure to check it out.

This prompted my sentiment which was computer generated. HeeHee, sometimes I just crack myself up! Hope you all get a giggle from this. I just love playing along with Whimsical Wednesdays and I don't think you can get much more whimsical than The Octopode Factory images so I'd say it's a match made in heaven! Be sure to check out the fab work by the DT's on both blogs. They are all just super fun and inspiring.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Bah! Humbug! Beads and Whimsicle Wednesdays Use Your Scraps Challenge

Wow, my DH has been gone backpacking for 4 days and I really thought I'd be crafting up a storm but I sort of got lost in other things. I went to the Farmer's Market, I gardened, I chatted with friends, I cleaned house, I did laundry. What got into me? But I finally managed to do a really CAS card for the Bah!Humbug! Beads challenge. The only difficult part of this card was stringing the beads because the eye of the tapestry needle I used didn't want to go through the Alpha Beads. I ended up using pliers to pull, which finally did it. I planned to play along with the current Whimsicle Wednesday Use Your Scraps Challenge, as well. I always have white card stock of various sizes all over my table from digis and computer generated sentiments, border punches, etc, so that was a cinch! The red piece had been knocking around for weeks and had all sorts of junk cut out of it, but thankfully, there was space left over for a 4 3/4 " square. The embossed wreath is a Cuttlebug folder and the doves, a Martha Stewart punch. P.S. the red ribbon the beads are strung on is a scrap too.

I popped the wreath and the doves (which I punched once in white and once in red to create a bit of a shadow) and that was it. Im also entering this in the Christmas Cards All Year 'Round July Challenge which is to do a card that is mostly white and the Winter Wonderland Holly and Ivy Challenge because if you look closely at the embossing, you'll see that there are holly leaves in the wreath. Be sure to stop by all of these fab challenge blogs to see the wonderful inspiration by the DT's.

Monday, June 27, 2011

BBTB2 Watermelon Challenge and Blog Hop!

WooHoo! It's the last Monday of the month and you know what that means, don't you? It's Blog Hop time at BBTB2. I'm kicking off this blog hop, but if you get lost along the way, check back at BBTB2 for the full list of participants. This week our fabulous fearless leader, Heather, as gone "old school" and chosen the watermelon from one of the "oldies but goodies" cartridges, Stretch Your Imagination. Of course, if you don't own that one, any watermelon will do but please make it a "new" creation. My first thought was to have a little kid taking a bite so I welded the shadow of the face from another oldie, Doodlecharms, to the shadow of the watermelon. I was gonna stop there, but then thought of the coming holiday and decided to go all patriotic, adding the fireworks and flag from Stand and Salute. There was method to my madness, because I really wanted to join the Whimsicle W ednesday Let's Get Patriotic Challenge and didn't think I could get to it unless I combined. (Sorry Steph, one of these days...) I glittered the fireworks and added gems and a glittered foam star (from M's) and embossed the flag and added tiny adhesive stars by Recollections. The little dude looked mighty bald so I added a curly paperclip for hair, much better!

Only the watermelon portion of this card opens because of the weird design, but it was fun to do something a bit different for a change. The bite was done with a simple hole punch. The rub-on sentiment is from Melissa Frances. There's not a ton of dimension, but I got a kick out of popping his mouth open so he looks like he's taking a giant bite. Now hop along to my sweet and beautiful DT sis Krista has in store for you. I'm sure it's just yummy! But don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win a $40.00 gift certificate from Custom Crops. They have some cool new products that I have't seen elsewhere, so be sure to check it out. I'll be drawing the winner using Random Org on Friday, July 1.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Better Late Than Never BBTB2

So how many people totally freaked that I didn't have a BBTB2 project on Monday? Yeah sure, fess up. It wasn't intentional. I had my card design in DS and then IT WOULDN'T CUT! My dear friend and fabulously talented DT sister Susan chose the Sunny Days cut from Celebrate with Flourish. I'll admit my Macabre Monday project took WAY longer than expected, and I'm sorry to those of you who don't appreciate my "creep factor," but sometimes just the process of doing something new becomes really exhilarating so... Anyway I started to cut my BBTB2 card and it wouldn't cut in DS. I was really late so I emailed my DT sisters and Susan came to the rescue telling me that Celebrate with Flourish was listed twice in DS, once as Celebrate With Flourish and once as Celebrate With Flouris which was a correction for the screwed up first one. Yup, this one I'd done with the wrong one so it wouldn't work and as it was late in the game, I just couldn't redesign it with the right one. Monday I had stuff to do and this morning I had a dentist's appt. I was gonna blow it off (because technically we're only required to do 2 projects a month) but I take this DT position VERY seriously and I've only missed two weeks in the several years I've been on this team (and those were when I didn't have the required cut and there were no substitutions.) So here it is. Not exactly how I envisioned but... Shaped card, no surprise.

Not as much dimension as I'd hoped but it's okay. The colors were inspired my the Whimsical Wednesday Color Challenge as I'm entering this in that challenge as well. I'm hoping the pix speak for themselves because I'm really tired. Getting up at around 4:00 am every morning takes it's toll and tomorrow I have yet ANOTHER eye appt. Anybody know a good seeing eye dog? We have great inspiration on BBTB2 this week (well, when don't we?) and remember the challenge runs for 2 weeks. If you don't have the cart, you may substitute and do the phrase from another cart. Please remember we'd like new projects only, not back dates and be sure to link your challenge to BBTB2.

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Whimsical Wednesday Tag Challenge

Okay, it doesn't look like a tag, but I'm using some "artistic license" here. I made it as a tag, so it IS a tag. My DH looked at it and said "Why are you calling it a tag? Isn't it kinda BIG?". I'm calling is a tag because that's what the Whimsical Wednesday challenge is. Make a TAG! Honestly, I started out designing a proper tag, but it took on a life of it's own, and who am I to stop the creative juices when they're flowing like wine (No, I wasn't drinking when I made this, I promise!) Anyway, I had leftover bird parts (OOOh, that sounds like something the cats dragged in...literally, EEEeeewww) from my BBTB2 Challenge card this week and was afraid I'd lose them so I assembled another version. See the first HERE. The bird is from Florals Embellished and I cut it using the silhouette feature in two shades of blue (at 4 inches) and had enough cuts to actually do 3 versions (so you just may see version 3 showing up in the near future on something else. Hope you're not TOO bored with it.) Of course I had to cut a bunch of white bases, but they're easy compared to the silhouette cut. If you're gonna do this bird, cut it BIG, like I did and use the multi-cut feature on 2 and you'll be good to go. "Fly" came from Straight from the Nest and it's cut at 5 inches. The sizing on Cricut always cracks me up. It is 5 inches from the top of the "F" to the bottom of the swirl but it's 12 inches long! Yeah, I'd say it's a BIG tag! LOL

Nothing too fancy going on here. I welded the shadow of "Fly to the shadow of the bird using DS and then added the layers. I cut 2 extra regular white layers so I could pop the wings making it look a bit more like it's flying and then popped the whole thing on the tag. My bling is a little subtle. I've used adhesive pearls, but yes, it's a TAG! See the ribbon hangy things on top? So what would I use such a huge tag for? How about a big Graduation gift, like a computer, or TV or better yet, a CAR! Works for me. I'm also entering it in the Allsorts Challenge, Things with Wings, and the Anything Goes Challenge at a brand new Challenge Blog called Crafting for All Seasons.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Whimsical Wednesday Back to Basics Challenge

I'm always anxious to see what the next Whimsical Wednesday Challenge is, even if I'm unable to play along. This week's was intriguing; create a card using "old school" methods (meaning NO Cricut!) My Cricut was the start of my paper crafting, so I really didn't have a stash of "old school" stuff before I bought it, but that didn't stop me from accumulating monstrous amounts of stickers, rub-ons, etc, just because they looked cool to me. One thing I do have a history of is decoupage, though. There was a store in my town, when I was in high school that sold multiple images of various scenes and objects to fussy cut and pop to make 3-D artwork and I bought several copies of a Model T car and spent hours cutting away and assembling the layers to mount in the lid of a jewelry box for my first love. I'm thinking that was the start of my infatuation with dimension. Although my card is not nearly as detailed, I used the same method with several copies of a botanical print from the Julianne Designer Mat pad from K& Co. The striped paper behind is also from that stack.

The color scheme and dimensional layers are quite subtle so I decided to make this a Sympathy card. I guess my "old school" element, besides the method itself, is the peel-off sticker sentiment that I colored with my Copic marker to match and mounted on Petite Scalloped and Petite Oval Nestie die cuts. The only embellishment are some adhesive pearls. Be sure to stop by Whimsical Wednesday to see what the fab DT has cooking, and remember, the challenges run for two weeks so there is plenty of time to play along. (OOOh, this makes 2 in a row for me, yahoo!)

Monday, May 16, 2011

BBTB2 Forever Young Sunglasses Challenge

Time for another BBTB2 challenge and this week our dear and terrifically talented Heather has chosen the sunglasses from Forever Young. Sure wish I needed sunglasses the last few days, but it's been chilly and dark with sporadic rain. Not May CA weather at all. I redesigned my glasses a bit into "love goggles", you know, those wonderful things that you see your Sweetie through when you are head over heels in love that permanently erase anything but youth and beauty in your eyes. I used Cricut DS to make a shaped card using the shadow cuts of the sunglasses and welded the hearts from Cake Basics to them. A teeny amount of hand trimming was required near the nose bridge. The sparkly DP is from K&Co Portobello Road. "Hot" is also from Forever Young and is just how I see my man, even after all these years. (I'm kinda counting on him wearing them too, if YKWIM. LOL) I cut it 3 times each, glued them slightly offset, added some gems and popped them up. The cool holographic striped paper is from my LSS. I have no idea why I bought the stuff, but could it have been any cooler for this project?

I actually was gonna quit there, but the glasses looked too plain so I searched for a tropical flower and found several. I was thinkin' that it would be tucked behind my ear as we frolicked in the sand. The one I chose was from Car Decals because it had a shadow (and the ones from Life's a Beach did not). Normally I would have welded the shadow of the flower to the whole thing as well, but it was an afterthought. Thankfully I was able to peel some of the assembled layers away to insert the shadow where I wanted it and build from there. The DP is also K&Co, this time from Que Sera Sera. I love the fabulous prints and saturated colors of those lines. The stamen is actually from on of the hibiscuses from Life's a Beach because it was in one piece instead of a bunch of little circles near the end so I tweaked it in DS to make it fit and added adhesive gems and Stickles to bling it up a bit.

Here's the dimensional shot. My DT sisters HERE have done fabulous work with the cut, as always, and if you'd like to play along, remember, you can use any sunglasses from any cart if you don't have Forever Young. I'm also entering this in the current Whimsical Wednesday Take Shape Challenge which is to make a shaped card. So sorry Steph, that this is combined, but the chances of me making 2 shaped cards in a week are pretty slim and I so wanted to play along. Be sure to stop over to Whimsical Wednesday Challenges too, and prepare to be amazed. So there you have it. I'm smiling big time, still thoroughly lost in my little island fantasy and longing for the day we can run away, smash the mirrors, and see ourselves only through love's reflection. MMMmmm....perfect!

Friday, April 22, 2011

Hoppy Easter

Although I didn't use Celebrate with a Flourish for my BBTB2 project this week, I did check out alot of the beautiful cuts and couldn't resist doing an Easter card using the sweet bunny and Easter sentiment. I started with an egg shaped card welded in Design Studio using Easter 2010. Then I just cut the layers. Added a bit of texture to the grass layer with Swiss Dots and cut that layer an additional time so I could pop the flowers. I'm thinkin' the Swiss Dots and the striped Egg will qualify for Papertake Weekly's Challenge which is Spots and Stripes. I glittered the bunny but running him through my Xyron face down to match the glittered striped in the DP on the egg. I'm hoping that's enough sparkle to enter this into the ABC Challenge "S" is for Sparkle. You know, some people complain that the adhesive from the Xyron either leaves sort of excess adhesive over the small cut out or leaves gaps on the die cut which isn't that big a deal for just gluing, but if you're glittering or flocking it's a prob. This won't happen if you use a stylis to trace around all of the cut edges (especially the small openings in letters and such) and then really rub the clear side to make sure it comes in contact with the adhesive to help pull it cleanly away and also helps the adhesive adhere firmly to the die cut. It takes a few more minutes, but really makes a difference.

You know I love the layers, and even more if they're popped, so of course, that's what I did. I'm not sure this is what the gals at Cupcake Craft Challenges had in mind but they gave us a pretty wide berth so I'm entering this in their Lots of Layers challenge as well. And speaking of POPPED layers, I'd sure love it if you'd visit Do More With Less and check out my Guest Designer tut and come join my challenge. Yvonne's Blog is packed with super inspiration and I'm giving away a great prize.

The inside sentiment is also from Celebrate with a Flourish. I added a few adhesive pearls to enhance it. Some were colored with my Copics to match. Obviously this is an Easter card so I'm entering it in the Sparkles Forum Challenge which is Easter and also the Whimsical Wednesdays April Showers Bring May Flowers Challenge. See the flowers, Steph? I'll try to do better next time, but I didn't want to miss it. LOL

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Whimsical Wednesdays Alice in Wonderland Challenge

Today is a special day because I'm so honored to be Guest Designer for Whimsical Wednesdays. When Jess contacted me and told me the challenge was Alice in Wonderland how could I say no? You know I love me some Alice! This fun challenge is open to any interpretation of an Alice theme so I hope you're inspired to play along. (I've heard there is a fabulous prize to be had!)

I'm quite the collector of Alice images so it was very difficult to choose. Because it is "Whimsical" Wednesdays, however, I decided you couldn't get more whimsical than the quirky digi stamps from The Octopode Factory. Lily is such an amazing artist that it's hard to believe she's only 17 years old. The stamps are available individually, or as a set, and I've used characters from both the Alice in Wonderland and Alice Elements sets. They are all colored with Copics and a bit of metallic gel pen here and there.

For my Wonderland scene I chose a side step card so I could add the layers and depth I wanted. Here's a LINK to a simple tutorial for this style of card. Choosing papers is always difficult for me, but when I saw the gorgeous flowers on this sheet from Webster's pages, I thought the quirkiness of the images would play off the beautiful, realistic botanicals quite well. The pattern is on the edges and corners of the page so with a bit of fussy cutting I was able to contain this magical world quite easily.

Of course the whole concept of time is central to the Alice theme. My clock here is a digi stamp from Smeared Ink and I've mounted Alice with a brad as if she were one of the hands and she does rotate. I'm afraid these days I feel alot like Alice. Time just seems to get away from me and sets me spinning! (Of course it doesn't help that I'm so easily distracted and the consummate procrastinator! LOL)

The sentiment is a combination of computer generation and what was printed on the Webster's Page. I've used wire to attach the computer generated portion which I printed in olive on more of the blank part of the printed card stock and cut and embossed with my new Nesties Labels Seventeen. I love the thought of "living the life I have imagined" and better still that it's "never too late" to make that happen.

Now to get you even more excited about the challenge I have a couple of "sneak peeks" from the gals who bring you Whimsical Wednesdays. The first is from Jess. Again, I want to thank Jess for this fun and fabulous opportunity. OOOhhh, I recognize that face and it's one of my FAVES! Hurry over to see the completed project HERE and leave her some love.

And from Stephanie I see another peek of gorgeous hair! I'm sure you're excited to see what Steph has in store and you'll find the particulars of the Whimisical Wednesday challenge, Mr. Linky, and the prize info HERE too. Hope all you Alice lovers come and play along!

Friday, July 9, 2010

Oh Alice! In My Country... (red, white and blue) Challenge and Whimsical Wednesdays

I'm always sad when I miss an Oh Alice! Challenge but I'm very happy this week. The challenge is Red, White and Blue! Of course I immediately thought of mushrooms and dear Alice herself in her little blue frock. Those images are the Wonderland digis from The Greeting Farm. The adorable Caterpillar is from Busy Beauties Boutique. They are colored with Copics and cut out and popped on a stair step base. The sentiment is computer generated.

A few MS punches came out to play and the DP's are Stampin'Up and (oh, crap!) I never did find the maker of that fabby cloud paper but it's about gone now so I won't be teasing you with is any more. LOL I'm also entering this in the Whimsical Wednesday's Diedrich Dare FINAL Challenge which is an ispiration photo of a red, white and blue cupcake. Beyond the obvious color scheme, I do sort of think these mushrooms look a bit like cupcakes. (Don'tcha think?)