Cashing In by Using My Stash

 

Today I'm featuring another birthday card made completely with leftovers from my stash. The die-cuts were from a bag of birthday greetings and elements. The felt flower is so old I have no idea where it came from! The card front is from a pack of cards, a leftover piece I used to attached to a piece of cardstock I folded today.

It was a quick make, so I made two. My sister's coming in from Germany with her husband, and she always brings back a handful of cards from my stash. I have made some of them in German. Mostly she prefers notecards that she can write something in and hand to someone. Just a decorated front and blank inside.

That's it for today! 

  

CHALLENGES I AM ENTERING:

A Little Bovine Humor

 

I love a good pun, especially when I create a card. The inside continues the punny theme, as  it reads: "Celebrate 'til the  cows come home".

I colored the cow with a very pale blue, adding yellow for the flower. The DP is all one piece (!), To embellish, I added some black adhesive jewels and part of a black paper border I had left over. Do you like to make square cards? I have a box full of square envies so finding one is no problem. Mailing it, however, takes2 stamps if you don't have any forever stamps left. I don't, so I guess this card will be hand-delivered.

CHALLENGES I AM ENTERING:

One for the Guys Today

 

I used a playing card from a box of assorted, mismatched mini cards I've collected through the years. This one is of Charlie Brown and Snoopy.  I decorated the card to be given to any gender with its browns and blues. I used a punch on a paint chip for the card face, as well as punching my birthday greeting with a circular punch.

The inside reads, "How many fingers are you?" I think that sentiment is hilarious. It could be a card from a child, or a card to a a child, or to someone who has a good sense of humor. I like making funny or punny cards. Anything to give the recipient a smile or a chuckle. How about you?

Another Month, Another Birthday Card

 

I love the sentiment on this card. It's a two-part greeting. And it goes  perfectly with the image I chose. The image is from Lynn Stansberry of Squigglefly. I colored her with Copics and double-framed her. All the papers I used are leftovers from previous projects.

The inside of the card reads: "and on my birthday, you must tell me that I look marvelous!" Isn't this the perfect image?! LOL

CHALLENGES I AM ENTERING:

Celebrating at Scribbles Designs Challenge Blog

 For the last two weeks Scribbles  Designs has been celebrating its birthday. I wanted to make another Birthday card for my DT make, this time using Brrr-thday Chef and Birthday Cake. You can find these adorable digis at the Scribbles Store by just clicking on their names.

I was inspired to  create this card by the small square behind my sentiment. The mix of colors drew me into a forgotten drawer of leftover papers,  in which I found the striped one I used as a background for my card face.
The digital image inspired my sentiment, which grew into a two-part sentiment and changed the design of my whole card into an easel card.

If you can't read the sentiment, it reads,

"I made some cake for your Birthday...Your candles didn't fit on just one cake!"

And the sentiment inspired me to print out several Birthday Cake images, all of which I colored with my trusty Copics and fussy-cut each and every one of them for my card. I don't think you can see it but the background paper on the card inside is embossed candles. Does anyone have a fire extinguisher?! LOL

 I haven't made an easel card in quite a while, and I don't know why not. I love puns and two-liners, and easel cards lend themselves perfectly for these kind of sentiments. I think you may be seeing more easel cards from me this year!

Meanwhile, go join the birthday party at Scribbles Designs Challenge Blog. Create a birthday card, party favor, decoration or any birthday-themed project and link it up for your chance to win some awesome prizes from the Scribbles Store.

Challenges I am Entering:

Colour Crazy - Anything Hand-colored Goes

Crafting with Friends - Anything Goes

Creative Fingers - Anything Goes

Kitty Bee - Birthday

Simply Create Too - Anything Goes w/optional Twist of Hearts

It's Birthday Time Again at Scribbles Designs!

Did you know that birthday calories don't count?! I didn't but Carl here, a digi image from Scribbles Designs, swears that it's true. I don't really know if I can trust him though. I haven't kissed  many frogs looking for my prince, but those I have remained frogs. Very untrustworthy (and slimy).

This month Scribbles Designs Challenge Blog celebrates its birthday, so their challenge theme is to feature birthdays. While Carl normally feasts on flies and other flying insects, I guess he couldn't resist a little zero calorie birthday cupcakes. After all, he is one of the original crew of images that Scribbles Designs started with.

Big things are brewing at the birthday celebration at the main blog. Along with the regular prizes there will be two or three additional prizes. Plus, anyone who leaves a comment on MY personal blog will have a chance to win the image I used on my project. So make sure you link your cards or birthday projects (anything goes) and check out this months posts. You don't want to miss any birthday goodies!!

While you can buy Carl in the Scribbles Store, the individual cupcakes I colored and used on my card are offered as freebies! One  more reason to check out the blog...

Challenges I am Entering

Craftyhazelnuts Patterned Paper - Anything Goes w/patterned paper

Digi Doodle Studio - Happy ANything

Happy Craft - Anything Goes

Love to Craft - Anything Goes

Silver & Gold & Metallics Line the Path of Positivity Challenge Blog

Finishing this year's theme collection of COLORS, the Path of Positivity challenge blog asks for projects using any kind of METALLICS - gold, silver, copper, aluminum, metallic gel gen, glitter, charms - whatever media your Muse inspires you to create with. It's an optional theme, but if your project follows this theme with a healthy amount of metal featured, your entry will be eligible for the Most Inspirational prize from Sparkle n Sprinkle, the guest sponsor this month.

I used a digi image from Sparkle n Sprinkle called Flower Silhouette with a gold and silver color combo. This combo runs through my background papers as well as in my flower blossoms. Then I spritzed on some Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist for an overall shimmer.
I dug into my jewelry and metal stash and was able to embellish each flower as well as a few butterflies and even the Happy Birthday greeting. To enhance the jewelry bits, I adhered a little fine crystal glitter from Stampin Up.

As I draw near to the end of the year, I am seeing a difference in my crafting stash. My paper has been reduced by about 20%, and my holiday stash is half what it used to be! This has been an ongoing goal, one which has kept me from having the time of my life in stores like Michael's and Hobby Lobby. Sigh! But I am seeing a light at the end of the paper crafting tunnel.

I really like the way my birthday card turned out. The inside's sentiment reads: "May your birthday bloom with wonderful surprises" I know so many people whose birthdays fall in December, this card is completed just in time for a special friend.

Back to the challenge at the Path of Positivity. while the theme is optional, ALL projects must be positive, encouraging or affirming in some way. Lord knows we need all the support from each other that we can get - am I right? So you have until the end of the year (boy, that sounds so weird to write out) to create and get your projects linked up to the Path of Positivity challenge blog for your chance to win some awesome prizes from Sparkle n Sprinkle. I can't wait to see what you come up with!! See you on the Path!!

Challenges I am Entering:

CAS-ual Fridays - Shades of Gold

Pattie's Creation Designs - Birthday

Classic Design Team - Anything Goes

Oddball Art - AG w/optional Holiday Haunts & Silly Stripes

Sparkle n Sprinkle - AG w/loose glitter, emb powder, etc

World Wide Open Design Team - AG/must be on DT

Use Purple & Green at the Oultawz Monday Greetings This Week

It's a Color Challenge this week at the Outlawz Monday Greetings challenge, and those colors are PURPLE and GREEN. This week's sponsor is Crafty Sentiments

 and the digital image I chose to use is called Just Relax 2 on a calendar page.

I snagged a "perpetual" calendar whose four sides are clear acrylic pockets in which I can place each month's calendar page. I created a page for August and placed birthday-themed picks in the center of my calendar. I did that because my youngest grandson, Jonny, turns ONE this month. Last year I was staying with my son's family as the due date neared. I was lucky in that my hubby and daughter came up to drive me home and we all ended up being there for his birth.
Come join the Outlawz Monday Greetings challenge this week. Remember to follow the color theme of Purple and Green, and to make sure you have a greeting or sentiment on your project.

New Challenge at the Outlawz Greetings This Week

Today brings a new challenge from the Outlawz Monday Greetings. We are mirroring the seasonal changes with a theme of April Showers and May Flowers. Lacy Sunshine is this week's generous sponsor, and I colored up this awesome image called "Floralia" with my trusty Copics, adding a tiny bit of shimmer with a couple glitter gel pens.
My flowers come in the form of a dry-embossed background which I colored with white gel pens for that contrasting pop of colors. I heat-embossed my greeting (it is, after all, the Monday greetings challenge).
Whether you choose showers or flowers, come play at the Outlawz Monday Greetings this week for your chance to win!

Challenges I am Entering:
Colour Your World with Lacy Sunshine - Anything Goes
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes
A Gem of a Challenge - Favorite Color Combo & Why (Again, I have to choose Teal & Pink-that white embossing really shows up well on the teal background, doesn't it?)
Alphabet challenges - E is for Embossing

One More GDT Card for Scribbles Designs Challenge Blog

Every once in a while I'll forget someone's birthday and have to send a card out late. This image makes me want to send cards out late! LOL what a fun image from Scribbles Designs. Bloggers who know me say I have a quirky sense of humor-well, it takes one to know one, and I have several friends who would laugh out loud upon receipt of this off-key card.
This is my final DT make for Scribbles Designs Challenge blog, and I have had a blast with Sandy's fun and funny images and sentiments. The last three months I've stretched my comfort zone so much, trying new techniques like oil pastels and alcohol ink backgrounds, creating new card designs and reviving some old ones. I am so blessed to be given opportunities to showcase my artistic endeavors around the world.
If you get a chance, Scribbles Designs offers new challenges every month, with free images from the Scribbles Store to winners. Tell them Patacake sent you!!

Challenges I am Entering:

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything Goes

Corrosive challenges - Anything Goes

A Bit More Time to Craft - Anything Goes

Crafty Time challenges - Birthdays

DeeDee's Digis Sponsors This Week's CYP Challenge

The flowers are in full bloom here in Chicago, despite the weird wishy-washy weather we've been having. And to celebrate the beautiful colors of summer, I created a Birthday card for my girlfriend, who lost her job last week. Craft Your Passion has a new challenge starting today, and the guest sponsor is DeeDee's Digis.
I got to play with a digi sheet called Spring Blocks, which comes with outline, layering and colored images, and sentiments.

I printed out four of the images and placed them in a a square design, using pop dots for dimension. I embossed my sentiment, and added a few lines of pearls on each block to embellish. It's a nice bright summery card for my friend. The sentiment inside reads: "May your day bloom with wonderful surprises" I hope she gets them, too, as she has a number of interviews set up for a new job! Wish her luck.

Now it's time for you to create something fun and link it up with Craft Your Passion challenge blog this week. Happy crafting!

Challenges I am Entering:

Alphabet challenges - K is for Kind Thoughts 

Craft for the Craic - Summer Time

Anything Goes at the Outlawz Greetings challenge

I love the Anything Goes challenges at the Outlawz Greetings. They're on the last Monday of each month. This week the sponsor is Lacy Sunshine, and I got to play with this cutie called "Rory - Eggstra Delivery." I know, it's an Easter-themed image, but I don't care. I paced jeweled flowers over the colored eggs in her bag so I could use her on a birthday card. As far as the bunny ears and carrot, well, there are all types of people...  LOL
I made a Z-fold card-I love this type of card, as it makes a very pretty presentation, and is very easy to create. Using left over papers, and embellies, I am keeping my promise of recycling and reinventing what I already have. Only the image is new, which you can get HERE.
Come play with us at the Outlawz Greetings challenges. Plenty of inspiration and a chance to win when you join the challenge!!

Other Challenges I am Entering:

Through the Purple Haze - Anything Goes

Monday Morning Challenge - Pretty Flowers 

Love to Scrap Challenge blog - Anything Goes

Crafting from the Heart - Anything Goes

Cardmania - Flowers

Monday Mood Board #9- Inspiration came from the colors of thew slices of fruit as well as the blue clothes

Anything Goes at SBP Challenges

 Welcome to another ANYTHING GOES monthly challenge at Your Scrapbook Place (SBP) challenge blog. We had a record number of participants last month, and hope to see you all back again for this month's challenge. Our sponsor is Squigglefly Designs. We bid a very fond farewell to Squigglefly, who will be closing their doors. They have some very talented artists creating for them, and as a DT member, I was able to create with the best of them! I know they will find their market with other companies, and when they do, I'll be ready to see what new images they have in store for all of us.
Meanwhile, I got to play with an image by artist Lynne Stansbery. I like her images, but I LOVE her hands. This one is called "On Your Honor" and I decided to put a little humor into my card. That's why I made an easel birthday card--the design is so perfect for those "punch lines."

Like mine: On my honor...I promise to never reveal your age!!
Now that I see my card on the blog, I might have to revamp it a tad. I like the look of it when closed flat with the cut-out circle framing the Happy Birthday sentiment, but it doesn't look so hot open. Hmm, this may be a work in progress. Stay tuned and you may just see it reincarnated in another life!
But until then, go check out SBP Challenges and show us what you got! Random winner receives 3 Squigglefly images.

Altered Board Book Becomes a Birthday Album

Today I found inspiration on Pinterest and set out recycling a leftover board book neglected by my now 6 year old granddaughter.
I gathered my supplies: 1 Sesame Street board book, a large sheet of butcher paper, a foam brush, and Gesso

I brushed two coats of Gesso onto each page, drying in between coats. I also brushed Gesso onto the covers.  Two coats didn't completely cover all the brightly colored pictures from the original book, but it was enough for my purposes. I plan on covering each page with patterned papers to make a birthday album for said granddaughter.
Once all my pages were dry, I started with the front cover.

I like the way it turned out! I used Bo Bunny patterned papers, tearing out the parts I wanted to showcase (the cake, cupcakes, pennants and title). I added some blue acrylic paint to my Gesso and colored around the pictures (I used Mod Podge to adhere them). Then I outlined the words and pictures with Copic markers to make them pop. I finished off the cover by inking the edges with a darker blue ink and covered the page with first Mod Podge and then Tattered Angels glimmer mist for a subtle shimmer.
And that's all I can show you so far, as it is a work in progress.  Luckily, I have until October before I give it to my "I'm-too-old-for-board-books" granddaughter. LOL

Here's something else I found on Pinterest--a recipe to make your own Mod Podge, which I used in the project above!!
Mod Podge:
1 large Mason jar (or any clean glass jar)
3 cups White Glue
1 cup water
Stir well and keep sealed until ready to use.  YUP, that's all it is!!

Do you surf Pinterest? If so, there's a new challenge blog called Your Scrapbook Place and their first challenge is to create a project using Pinterest as your inspiration point. The sponsor for this challenge is Squigglefly, so participants get a chance to win free digis from them!! Hurry, the challenge ends April 13!

Dotty Over Squigglefly!

This week the Squigglefly Challenge calls for Polka Dots!  Now I don't really like polka dots so I don't have a lot of paper or embellishments in that style, but I found both paper and ribbon in my leftover stash, so here is the card I made for the challenge.  The digi image is called "Vanity Thy Name Is Woman" by the lovely and talented artist Lynne Stansbery.  Can you tell she's one of my fave artists? LOL
I colored her with Copics and framed her in coordinating colors of cardstock before popping her onto my polka dotted card face.  I did the same with my sentiment, a 2-parter from SU.  I finished off my card with a linen flower and a piece of polka-dotted ribbon.
The inside of the card finishes the sentiment.  It reads:  "and now you must tell me that I look marvelous!"
Pull out your Squigglefly images and come play with us as we celebrate a week's worth of polka dots!
You can also use them for the Outlawz Paper ala Mode Challenge this week as well.  Their challenge is to use something on your card that starts with the first letter of your name.  My name is Pat and the Polka dots are my challenge item!! For those who need a lttle push, here's a list of alphabetically listed items you might use if your name starts with:
A is for animals, atc's, alphas and apples
B is for buttons, brads, birds and braid
C is for Copics, chipboard, corrugated and CAS
D is for diecuts, distress, dimension and diamonds
E is for elephants, envelopes, embossing and emerald
F is for fiskars, fairies, frogs and flocking
G is for green, gears, glitter and giraffes
H is for hearts, hippos and heat embossing
I is for indigo, inks, iris folding and inchies
J is for jade, jute, jewels and journaling
K is for kites, knots and kids
L is for lime, lace and layers
M is for monkeys, Mod Podge and metal
N is for notes (musical), negatives and newsprint
O is for orange, oil pastels and ombre
P is for polka dots, paint, punches and prima 
Q is for question marks, quilling and queens
R is for Ranger, rustic and roses
S is for stamping, stickles and Scrapbook Stamp Society (their sponsor) 
T is for tri-folds, tearing and tulips
U is for underwater, unicorns and UTEE
V is for vertical, vines and vellum
W is for washi, women, water colors and white
X is for Xyron and XOXO
Y is for yellow and you tube
Z is for zentangles and zebras
Whew, there you go, now craft!!

Birthday Wishes to Somebunny Special

Well, winter is still sticking around, but Spring is definitely in the air!  That's saying a lot coming from Chicago. LOL To celebrate the near-arrival of Spring, I used a gorgeous new release from Queen Kat Designs called "Sketched Bunny."
I printed my image three times, giving each a hint of Spring color using Copics BG10 & RV11, and Zig Brushables markers English Lavender & Butter.  The sentiment comes from another QKD stamp set called "Birthday Party ." by artist Sandra Caldwell.
I embellished simply with a few pearls,a yarn flower and embossed daisies.
I don't have a lot of friends or family with birthdays in the Spring.  Most of them celebrate theirs in the Fall; of course, I was born on Income Tax Day (my nickname was "daddy's little deduction").
Whether you make spring, fall, summer or winter cards, you will love the new releases this month!

Square Off with a New Squigglefly Challenge

Today I made a card for this week's challenge at Squigglefly.  It is a 6x6 square card to match the challenge's theme of SQUARE-SHAPED CARDS.
I used some leftover patterned paper for the background.  Then I colored up this awesome image from Squigglefly called "58 Impala" by artist Carmen Gamble.
I framed the image with black cardstock, which I also used to frame my birthday sentiment (I also used a negative piece of paper to frame my sentiment).
All that was left were the embellishments, which included Skittles, pearls. adhesive lace and a pretty green ribbon bow!
In the mood to make a square card?  Use a Squigglefly image on it and play in the challenge for your chance to win free digis!

Queen Kat Designs Has New Releases for April

...and I'm one of the lucky ones to get Sandra Caldwell's newest image, "Four-Eyed Flower" with which to play!  Here, I made a pretty birthday card for my neighbor, in shades of her favorite color, purple.

I colored my image with Copics, framing it with black card stock and popping it onto a die-cut card base.  I kept it simple, with just some inked edges, a couple flowers and some jewels to embellish it.  I received the beautiful sentiment from a crafting friend on my Yahoo group. I love swapping with other crafters--I get great ideas and inspiration, and often things I couldn't get any other way.

So, if you like what you see, be sure to visit the QKD Shoppe for some inspiration and all the new releases this month.  Sandra is one of many talented artists designing for Queen Kat Designs, and I do love to play with them all!! LOL  You will too!

Mom's 80th Birthday Party-palooza!

This year my mo turns 80!  Actually at the end of this week! Now some people would want a big party with lots of friends and family, balloons, decorations, presents, cake.  But at 80, sometimes it's nicer to run away from home, and that's what my mo and sisters and I are doing this weekend--running away!
But presents and surprises will abound, and I have been super busy making toppers for a number of goodie bags filled with favorite treats.  Each baggie will have 80 pieces of each item, like caramel popcorn, m&m's, pistacchios, etc.

Most of the toppers showcase HouseMouse images, but there are a couple other stamp companies used as well.  My sisters and I have probably 20 bags of goodies, all filled with 80 pieces of something, and I'll be stapling them all to the toppers in the car ride up to Port Washington this weekend.

There's a new Micro Brewery/restaurant there and we'll have the birthday dinner and then whip out the gigantic gift bag filled with these fun creations.  Oh, and cake, too! LOL

So, my lesson today, crafters, is to try something new!  You never know when inspiration will hit, and you need to be ready to grab it by the horns and ride it into the sunset!!
Have fun!!

Yummy Card from a Recipe Challenge

Squigglefly has done it again--challenged me to step out of my comfort zone with a recipe!!
This week the challenge on the Squigglefly Challenge Blog is to use one of their digi images and the following "ingredients" of the challenge recipe:
1 - Ribbon or fiber
2 - Brad or eyelets
3 - diecut
Today I printed and colored a Squigglefly digi image from artist Mike Eustis called "Something's Fishy".  Isn't it cute?!
I made a Z-fold card and used bright summer colors.  The patterned paper is from an old (2008) Page-a-Day scrapbooking calendar.
I made my ribbons into bows, added two brads and used a diecut journal box for the birthday sentiment.
I hope your crafting taste buds have been tickled, and you had a delicious time here.  Now it's your turn to cook up a card using a Squigglefly digi image and the recipe ingredients for a chance to win free digi's.