Book Your Next Challenge with Your Scrapbook Place

Today I am going to let my Dreams Take Flight. After work, I will sit down and tally up all the winners of my Birthday Blowout celebration. I wished to increase my Blog Following, which I did, and Lisa from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles has made a badge for me to display in my sidebar. Thank you Lisa!
Everyone who joined me in my Birthday Blowout is getting something, so please send me your email, either in the comnents section or by emailing me at: patacake1956@yahoo.com
Now, on to my project. I design for Your Scrapbook Place with other talented crafters. The blog's challenges are always Anything Goes, so today, as a midway reminder of our April challenge, I made a bookmark. It features an image from our sponsor, Angie's Digital Stamps. I used Butterfly on a Toadstool, which can be found along with many others on her Etsy Shop.
After coloring it with my trusty Copics, I shimmered it a bit with Stickles and then fussy-cut the image out. I prepared a base of cardstock and patterned paper which I border punched. I embossed my sentiment. A piece of trim and some sequins and all I needed to finish it off was a ribbon. BUT, I promised myself that today I would look no further than the top of my craft table to create, and there was no ribbon to be had. There was, however, a strip of that black cardstock that happened to be red on the other side as well as the core, so I stapled it to look like a ribbon, added a punched circle to each end.
I still have so much on my craft table, including images. I could probably make another 10 projects without touching anything except what's on my table. And that is the promise I am making today. If it's not put away immediately, I MUST use what's leftover before rooting around for more. The madness has to stop somewhere, and I alone have the power!!
Meanwhile, back to reality. Please carve some time out this month to play, and then join Your Scrapbook Place for its April Anything Goes challenge.

BTW, I will post this week once I have made my birthday goodies lists. Keep checking back!! Everyone is a winner!

Other Challenges I am Entering:

City Crafter challenges - CASE the card

All Crafts - Anything Goes no Cards

Not Just Cards - Anything Goes

Sparkle n Sprinkle - Anything Goes w/loose glitter,emb powder,flocking

Mother Nature is No Fool

They say that April showers bring May flowers, but in Chicago, it's been known to snow in April AND May! However, from the view out my window, I believe the snow is finished, and Spring is finally ready to welcome us into our gardens and short-sleeved shirts. Of course, it is April Fools' Day, and she may just "punk" us with a cruel joke, but I have faith that she is above all that nonsense!
So today, in honor of Spring, I have created an Easter card using a digi image from Angie's Digi Stamps. It is called "Birds in Bird Bath" and I thought it portrayed the essence of Spring. Each morning in Spring, we awake to birds singing and sun shining. Colors start to peek out from freshly green grass. 
My card is bright with Spring colors, and showcases a birds frolicking in their bath, while butterflies dance in the breeze and flowers face toward heaven.
Angie's is this month's guest sponsor at Your Scrapbook Place challenge blog, where the theme is Anything Goes. My card for this challenge is a Z-Fold card

As you can see from the picture, a simple fold outward on your front card face gives the whole thing a special look when opened. Here, I chose to match the inside with the outside paper doily, popping the sentiment where my Copic-colored image is centered on the front.

Check out all the cute images at Angie's Digi Stamps. And spend some time crafting with the windows open, so you can hear those birds in their Spring chorus, and catch that breeze. Then go over to Your Scrapbook Place challenge blog and come play with us!! One random winner gets a prize from Angie's!! 

 Did I mention that my birthday is in April?? I am having a big birthday bash, with challenges, games and especially PRIZES. Check out my April 1 post HERE for your chance to win from today through APRIL 15!!

Other Challenges I am Entering:

Crafty Sentiments - More Than 1 Fold

Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Crafty Cardmakers - Spring

Ooh La La challenges - #177 Spring/Easter

Through the Purple Haze - Anything Goes

Guess Who's Gone Digital with SBP's Newest Challenge?!

Hello, lovely crafters!  It's time again for a new challenge at SBP Challenge blog. The theme is TAGS and the sky's the limit. You can create a tag, or create with tags! You can ink them, paint them, fold them, create a tag-shaped card, alter a tag, use tags on layouts, altered art, mixed media canvas...well, you get the picture!
Our guest sponsor this month is Lisa from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles, and with her help and the help of my daughter-in-law, I have been brought into the 21st century with digital crafting! I had not yet jumped onto the digital bandwagon. 
First, I had to purchase Photoshop, which I finally did last Christmas by using a couple Amazon gift cards. But every stinking time I tried to do anything in it, I was left with disappointment, frustration and anger. I knew nothing about layers, and couldn't figure out how to get them, how to have fun with them, and how to put everything together. There were no You Tube videos out there on my Elements 12. Finally, I had my daughter-in-law over and we were able to mix it up and save things. I am still a newbie, and I need to practice and experiment every day, but I am finally having fun. And to prove it, here's my very first ALL DIGITAL layout, using elements from Lisa's fabulous Tag Grab Bag 1 Cotton Candy Collection. I used Flower 6 from the Floral Accessories, Button 2 from General Accessories, "With Love" from Sentiments, and of course Tag 11 from Patterned Tags to qualify my layout for the challenge. I made them into a continuous border. Once I got the arrangement finished, I popped in a photo and added text.

Okay, while I am over the top with my layout, I know that it is very basic and could use some tweaking, but the last time I created with Lisa's digis, I printed them up and fussy cut out everything on my project. And you can still do that!! That's what's great with digis--you can create with them no matter your tech level!!Meanwhile, this is it (nudge)--TAG< YOU"RE IT!!  Your turn to create or craft with a TAG for some awesome prizes. The challenge rules have changed so best read up on them before you link up.And as always, happy crafting!

It's Christmas in July at SBP Challenge Blog

Get ready because it's Christmas in July at Your Scrapbook Place challenge blog. Don't let the name fool you! Cards, layouts, altered art, canvas, decor--the sky's the limit, peeps!! Get out your reds and greens and candy canes and jingle bells. Set your iPod to your Christmas playlist and let's get crafty!
This two-week-long challenge is sponsored by Decosse's Dynamite Doodles:

 

Lisa has generously donated the following prizes to up to FOUR lucky people:

• One random participant will receive the full mini kit.
• One random person who leaves a comment will receive both paper sets (patterned and textured).
• One random follower of the blog who leaves a comment will receive the word art set.
• One random player who uses the following FREEBIE digital paper (Click here for the link) from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles will receive three embellishment sets (frames, ribbons/lace, brads)

I got to play with CANDY CANES digi paper and the MERRY CHRISTMAS digi sentiment from Lisa. I absolutely adore all the digi papers in her Christmas Paper Set. Of course, I had to add some bling, and the snowman comes from a Christmas pin that was just too heavy to wear. 

Easy Easel Challenge Over at Your Scrapbook Place

 Today I made an easel card for Your Scrapbook Place Challenge blog. Their guest sponsor, Scribbles Designs, gave the DT images to play with and I fell in love with Carl's Pad. I have a couple of images from the Carl set and I think he is too funny.
After making the easy folds for my easel card, I added patterned paper leftover from a previous project.
I colored Carl with my trusty Copics, then fussy cut him out and added him to the lower half of my card front. That way I can fold the front in and let it stand as if it were on an easel, with some of the image un-adhered and freestanding.
The reason the card stands up is in the embellishments or sentiment used on the "inside" or bottom of the card. I used a row of jewels and the tip of a dragonfly's wing to accomplish this.

Don't you love this sentiment? It's one of several that you can purchase at Scribbles Designs. I think this one is perfect for a two-part card!
So now you have a basic understanding of an easel card if you had never made one before. And you can go play in Your Scrapbook Place challenge as their theme is Anything Goes as an Easel Card. One random winner will win their choice of free digis from Scribbles Designs. Hurry, the challenge only goes through May 14th!