Treehouse Stamps Challenge - It's time to "Circle It!"

Happy Thursday!
It's time for another challenge at Treehouse Stamps and this week we want to see Circles on your cards.
There has been great news at The Treehouse Stamps Store this week with the release of some images as Digital Stamps!!! No waiting for the Mailman, just print and go!
Also each week we are spotlighting a team members and this week you must check out the wonderful work of Yaneri Rodgirquez
The Design Team got to work with some of the new images and I chose mine from the Beary Birthday Collection

I found a few other challenges to fit with this one.

Paper Make Up had a great sketch that worked wonderfully with the Circles theme
ABC were at L is for Layering
Stamp, Scrap and Doodle wanted a Celebration card
2 Red Bananas wanted you to "Think Round"
Etsy Inspired had a great store this time and I chose Skylars Candy Clips Headband to go with my color combo
Alphabet Challenge were are K is for Kids
Your Next Stamp wanted to see Embossing
Digital Tuesday also wanted Embossing and a digi image

I printed out the image and colored him with Copic's. I also printed an additional image that I colored only the present and the cut out and popped on top of the forst for dimension.
The dp is Basic Grey.
The scalloped circles are cut from Quickutz Nesting Dies and then embossed with a Sizzix 2" by 2" folder.
The border punch is Fiskars Apron Lace.


The inside is more dp and a message mat.



I wonder what Teddy has inside his gift!
Have a wonderful day and we'd love to see you join in with our Circle Challenge at Treehouse Stamps this week.
Katie

The Pixie Cottage Challenge #7 - A New Sketch for you to try

It's another Wish Upon a Wednesday at The Pixie Cottage and this time it's a fabulous sketch from super talented Design Team member Renata

It was a little different from the regular sketch but I knew what I wanted to do with it as soon as I saw it.
It reminded me of a frame on one of those oil painting you see in a big mansion and I tried to create a similar look on my card.
Obviously I couldn't make a card without adding a few other challenges to it ;)
Crazy 4 Challenges wanted a Birthday card
The Pink Elephant also wanted a Birthday card
Just Us Girls wanted Stitching
Cupcake Crafts had a "Going Girly" theme
Die Cut Dreams had an inspiration challenge of "Coffee and Cream" and I decided to use it for my color scheme
Corrosive wanted to see Distressing
and so did Creative Card Crew
Crafty Angels asked "Can You Feel It?" and wanted to see texture on your card so I used textured cardstock, popped up the image and added 3D ribbon roses.



I've had this wonderful Hannah stamp for a while know but this is my first time coloring it and I love how it turned out. I colored her with Copic's and even colored the sky as background even though it's really light on the screen.
The dp is K@Co and the sentiment is a sticker but I can't remember from who.
I inked all edges with Chalk Ink and pen stitched with a fine Prismacolor marker.

I used more of the wonderful dp inside and a message mat.

I just wanted a close up of the beautiful Hannah.
Don't let the sketch put you off, try it and you'll like it, just like they say on Yo Gabba Gabba!! (Mom's of preschoolers will know what I mean :))
I'd love to see what you can do with the sketch.
Katie

Super News at Digital Delights!!

Happy Tuesday Everyone!
I know you've all been enjoying the fabulous images Wendy creates at Digital Delights but now it's got even better!

Instead of shopping "blog style" she now has a super new website that you'll love!
You need to update your bookmarks as soon as you go to The NEW Digital Delights Store as you'll want to keep coming back again and again.
All the images are now in sections for easy searching and you'll never miss the new releases again as they'll be right on the front page!
So run over and take a look, I'm sure you won't be able to resist dropping a few new images in your cart ;)
Katie

Cute Daisy May - Flowers and Ribbons

Happy Monday Everyone!
With the New Year we have started something new at Cute Daisy May
As usual each Monday we will have a new challenge but each week the challenge will be hosted by a member of the Design Team.
They may chose their favorite theme or technique or maybe they'll challenge themselves as well as chose something they've never done before.
This is the first week of the hosted challenges and this one is hosted by ME!
Valentines Day is approaching and this is a great challenge to help you create those romantic cards. I'd love to see flowers and ribbons in adundence on you cards, if you know a special technique with either that would be a great too!

I used a few other challenges to help me create this as well.
Daring Cardmakers had Garnet as their inspiration
If The Shoe Fits wanted Chipboard (I used a chipboard sentiment)
Stamp Something had a sketch
Lili of the Valley had a Thank You theme
Bee Crafty also had a Thank You theme as well as using a digi image
Belli had a Glitter or Rhinestones theme
Practical Scrappers also wanted Glitter or Bling
Handfull of Stamps had a Flowers theme
Crafty Creations had a color combo of Black and White and a Splash of color
Paper Cutz wanted Red, Green, Black and White for a color combo
Fab N Funky had an "Anything Goes" theme

I used this sweet girl from Sheet 134 and colored her with Copic's.
The dp is actually a Christmas design from GCD Studios but I think it works well with this theme too.
The ribbon and rhinestones are from Michaels and the sentiment from Joanns.
I faux stitched the long panels with a Prismacolor silver marker.


Inside is more of the wonderful dp and a message mat.

I just wanted a close of sweet Daisy!

I'd love to see your creations too, so grab your flowers and ribbons and come along and play at Cute Daisy May
Katie

Pile It On - Happy New Year!

Happy Sunday!
It's time to get back to business with the 1st challenge of 2010 for Pile It On and the theme is Happy New Year! Of course you must combine it with other challenges or else you won't be "Piling It On!"

I found a few to help me this week and the 1st is a brand new challenge blog.
Fussy and Fancy had the theme of "New"
Stampin For The Weekend had a New Beginnings theme
PaperTake Weekly also had a "New Beginnings" theme
Cute Card Thursday had an "All New" theme
Sassy Susie had a theme of Friends Old and New
Crafty Ann had a New Year theme too
365 Cards Day 312 had a "Metal Mania" theme
Ildi Co had a Scraps and Metal theme
Paper Play had a Precious Metals theme
Just Magnolia had a monthly challenge of Paper Pleating (and a Magnolia stamp)
Magnolia Down Under wanted a "Stamp with another use" and I used a Summer stamp on a New Years Card
Crafty Card Makers wanted your favorites of 2009 and I have to say that discovering Magnolia stamps was a breakthrough in my cardmaking and is definitely a favorite of mine.
Frosted Designs had an Ink challenge and I used Memento Tuxedo Black ink to stamp Tilda
Flutterby wanted to see "New" along with a Fairy, Butterfly or Angel and this Tilda certainly has her Angel Wings showing
Easy Breezy Kewl had a color combo of Soft Suede, Ballet Blue, Whisper White, Kraft and Bravo Burgundy
Pals Paper Arts had a great sketch



This is a Tilda from a previous years release but she's new to me and the first time I'm used her. She's called Tilda With Watering Can and I colored her with Copic's.
The dp is K@Co and the metal phrase is Making Memories.

Tutorial for The Pixie Cottage - Paper Rosette Flowers

Hi Everyone,
Hopefully with today being Saturday you'll get a little time to yourself for crafting.
A couple of weeks ago I did a card for The Pixie Cottage and I used a handmade rosette flower on it. I got some requests for directions and Michelle thought it may be good if I could give a quick tutorial.
I'm no good with editing videos and stuff so You Tube it isn't but I can take photos step by step.
So here it is, paper rosette flowers 101.


First you need to gather together your tools.
You will need:
A scoring mat such as a Scor Pal or the one by Martha Stewart
Bone folder or scoring tool
Cardstock or heavyweight printed paper
Paper cutter
Heavy duty double sided tape like ATG
Strong liquid glue, I use Beacon's 3 in 1 but Fabri-Tac is another great choice
1" circle punch used to punch two circles for each flower out of cardstock
Button



Cut a strip of cardstock/heavy dp into a strip 1" by 12"
Line the strip up into the top corner of your scoring board.



Using your scoring tool score lines at each 1/4" mark on the board.
Continue across the whole length of the strip.
A tip is to hold the cardstock firmly against the top of the board as it will move if you don't and if your score lines aren't level the flower won't work.



When you've scored the whole length take the strip off the board and start to fold along the score lines in an accordian fashion creating "hills and valleys" in the cardstock.



When the whole strip has been folded it should look like this.
I'm showing two sizes but our finished flower is using the strip that is 1" deep.
Larger depths are a little bit more tricky to work with and you have to add additional length to the strip by joining two pieces together or you can't "pinch" the flower into place (as you'll see in the next few steps)



Add a strip of ATG (or other strong tape runner style adhesive) to the first "V" at one end of your strip. Make sure both the "up" and "down" sdes of the V have glue on.



Join both ends of your strip into a circle overlapping one V on each end.
Squeeze the ends tightly to get the glue to adhere well.



Next begin to "pinch" the top edge of the circle together to make the center of the flower.
It sounds tricky but it really isn't. It will make a small cirlce in the middle of the flower and outer edge will fan out to make the flower.



Apply ATG liberally to one of the 1" cardstock circles. I've punched mine in a constrasting color to make it easier for you to see.
Have the circle glue side up on your desk and add the "pinched" flower to the top and press down firmly.
The folds in the cardstock make it very strong so you can press down very firmly without it crushing.



Squeeze some liquid glue in the center and around the inner edges and hold until it starts to set. You can also use a large glue dot pushed into the center to hold it together but I prefer glue.



Add another cardstock circle to the top.



I then inked the edges and and raised tops of the V's with chalk ink for definition.
I added a button to the top.



After completing the decoration of the flower I like to place something heavy on it while the glue completely dries and sets firm. This way I won't risk an unravelled flower.




Here you can see a finished flower on a card I recently made for The Pixie Cottage.

I hope I didn't make it seem complicated with so many steps, it really isn't hard at all, I just wanted to show every little step to make it easier to follow.
I'd love to see if you try one of these, they are so much fun and add something different to your cards.
Katie

Lots of Fun at Digital Delights and Freebie too!

Happy Friday!
It's time for another Freebie Friday at Digital Delights.
This time it's a wonderful heart perfect for Valentines and sweet Maggie (available in the store) works great with it.



Just a reminder that you can now find the freebies at our groups at Papercraft Planet and SNR Card Universe All you have to do is join one or both of our groups and the image is yours. You can find it under the subject Freebie Friday in the discussions area!!) Be sure to become a follower of the groups of your choice so you can be sure to keep up to date with our fun happenings!!

Also we have some fabulous fun coming up next week at SNR Card Universe.
We are starting the New Year on a Health Kick!



Everyone who comes along on the 14th and who participates with a comment for a good exercise tip or diet tip will get a free image. Everyone who enters challenge will be put into a draw to win the New Release for January 21st.



I'd love to see you come over and play along!
Have a great weekend.
Katie

Sketch 14 for Delightful Sketches

Happy Thursday,
Now the Holidays are over it's time to get back on track with that card making!! LOL
Maybe you made a New Years Resolution to make a card a day or that you'd never forget another birthday, well joining in challenges are a great way to keep up those promises, have fun along the way and maybe even win a prize!
Delightful Sketches are back with another new sketch and it's a great one!



Also we have a super sponsor this week....

The prize is a fabulous 4 images/files of your choice!

I also have some other challenges that are covered in this card.
Crazy 4 Challenges wanted to see Polka Dots
Our Creative Corner wanted to see "Clean and Simple" and this is definitely "less stuff" than my usual card.
Everybody Art wanted your Favorite Color Combo and I decided to go with Blue, Green and White




I decided to go with a birthday theme as we can never have enough birthday cards in our stash.
I chose to use Alien Andy as he was so cute and I've not used him before.
As usual I colored him with Copic's. The dp are DCWV and the border punch is EK Success.





Be sure to check out all the other wonderful cards from the Design Team and have a go with the sketch yourself.
Katie

The Treehouse - Guest DT - "B's"

Hi Everyone,
It's my first challenge as a member of the Treehouse Stamps team and this challenge is a great one!
Let's "B"egin the New Year with some "B's" and create something with a bird, a button and some bling.

For other challenges I have :

Stamp Something had the perfect theme of "New Somethings" and as this is my 1st week on this team that's definitely NEW! ( the stamp is new too!)
Cute Card Thursday had an All New Theme too
Allsorts had a Sketch and wanted to see something Old or New
Etsy Inspired had a great Owl plushie I used for inspiration
The Crafty Pad wanted to see Buttons
Stamping Vacation had a Pick 3 and I picked; Image of theme (birds), Sentiment of theme (Owl Always Love You) and Patterned Paper that goes with the theme
Copic Buzz wanted to see Ribbon


I know it was an obvious choice but I just had to use the Owlentine set of stamps on this card.
This couple are so cute and a perfect fit. I colored the image with Copics and the dp are K&Co and Cosmo Cricket.





I'd love to see you join the fun over at Treehouse Stamps too!
Katie

2 Cards for you to enjoy!

Happy Wednesday!
I may no longer be on the team at LaLa Lands but these new images were so cute that I wanted to join in with one last card :)
I used the fabulous sketch at Just Us Girls and Incy Wincy wanted you to Bling It Up!

I colored Maya with Copic's and I thnk she may have been out in the sun too much but at least she's in the Valentines "Moo"d!
The papers are Basic Grey from the Infuse Collection.



There are fabulous new Valentines images on their way to the La La Lands store and you won't want to miss them!
To celebrate these new images the team are having a Blog Hop and you can catch all the fun over there.

I also have news on my own challenge blog Cooking It Up With Katie. Last year we did challenges on Thursdays but I've taken on a new DT position and left another and it now works so much better to have the challenges on Wednesdays.
So this week is the 1st challenge on the new day.

The new recipe is:
Not Your Usual Valentine image
Try a technique you've not done before
Add a color challenge from another blog

And of course I'm using some more challenges with this card too!
365 Cards Day 309 had a super sketch
and Day 308 had a great challenge of stamping on ribbon
Rosie Dees had a Free Choice week
The Pink Elephant had a recipe of 2 Designer papers, 3 Buttons and Snowflakes
A Spoon Full of Sugar wanted to see Hearts
Colour Q had a color combo of Rich Razzleberry, Orchid Opulence, Regal Rose, Kiwi Kiss and White
Creative Card Crew wanted to see Distrssing
Digital Tuesday wanted a Valentines card for a loved one

This fantastic image is Blessed Snow Angel and comes from this challenges sponsor, Faith of Designed to Delight. I colored him/her with Copic's.
I used Basic Grey Sultry and Lollipop Shoppe dp.
I used green grosgrain ribbon and Stamps by Judiths stamps and Memento ink.

Inside is more dp and a message mat.

Here is a close up of the image out of the pocket.

I hope you can join in my challenge atCooking It Up With Katie.
Katie