A Kept Life: 03/01/2016

Thursday, March 31, 2016

Fusion Orchid Occasions - Hibiscus Bloom

Wow this week is going fast! I'm still suffering with my cold and lately it's just making my teeth ache. In fact one side of my face is a bit swollen. Probably not related to the cold so I went to the dentist. I'm starting a course of antibiotics and I hope they kick in really fast. I've got to take my dad to the hospital on Friday to have his pacemaker replaced and I want to have my happy face on for him.

A new challenge begins today at Fusion - this one is called Orchid Occasions. The Fusion challenge asks you to play with just the photo OR the sketch, and if you are feeling witty you can FUSE them together. I'm always trying to put them together but sometimes it's not so easy.

Check that photo! What do you love - pretty aqua and pink, those long tall vases.. maybe the elegant orchids?

First of all I don't have an orchid stamp or die. I looked everywhere! I decided it didn't matter what sort of flower I used - just be sure to make it a hot pink! LOL! Check!

Next for the shape of that sketch.. an oval AND a strip to the right. I decided to paint an area with the aqua blue of the vase and for the strip on the sketch some stenciling.

I loaded up the stencil with some Golden Light Molding Paste and then sprinkled it with glitter while it was still wet so it would stick.

The hibiscus takes the place of the butterfly on the sketch. I tucked in a few vellum die cut leaves - they're really soft and subtle.

The inspirational sentiment is from CASual Fridays Breathe stamp set. A sprinkle of enamel dots, wood sequins and a bit of washi and I'm done!

Need a little more inspiration? Check out designs from the rest of the team by clicking on their names below.

We sure hope you join us at Fusion Card Challenge! You have two weeks to play along! Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

12 Kits of Occasions - Spring Fling!

Hello! Welcome to the 12 Kits of Occasions! We're a group of 12 friends who all love to paper craft! Every month we take turns putting together a kit for the rest of the group. We all receive the same items and on the last day of the month we reveal what we made with the kit. It's fun to see how our designs are similar or oh so very different! LOL! Our hostess this month is Michelle Leone from Pretty Periwinkles and we're having a Spring Fling! Michelle is a new friend for me and I'm getting to know her style. From what I can tell so far she can do just about everything... CAS or layers. I can't wait to see this kit through her eyes!

So what was in the kit? Check it out!! Bright colorful papers, die cut bunnies, twine, sequins. Hard to go wrong here - I know ALL the projects are going to be amazing! I made quite a few things and there was very little left when I was done. The "trixie" item I think you should keep an eye out for this time is that clothes pin with the wood veneer bird. I didn't use mine on my projects, but I did hot glue it to my carousel that I keep my tools in so I can look at it and smile every day!

Ready to see what I made? Ok.. let's go!

I added the google eyes to the bunny, but the kit had just about everything else including the little pom pom cotton tails for Mr. Rabbit!

All these cute veggies were stamped beautifully in rows - I couldn't bare to cut them apart!

To repeat the colorful striped background I traced around each stamped little bunny with a different color Copic marker. I used very light shades so the effect would be subtle.

I had so much fun playing with all these cute little bunnies! Want to see more? Check out what the rest of the team made!

Michelle Leone - Pretty Periwinkles (our hostess)
Marybeth - It's Time For Paper

Joyce - Cards By The Sea

Kim - Cupcakes Cards & Kim

Jessica - The Paper Parade

Sharron - On Papillon Wings

Tracey McNeely - In My Creative Opinion

Lindsey Larsen - Occasional Crafting
Michele Ferguson - I Card Everyone
Lisa Elton - My Paper Tales

Nancy Penir - Artful Notions

You can also check out our 12 Kits blog where you will see one sample from each designer - to sort of give you a feel for our different styles. And don't forget to look for those clothes pin clips!

All projects finished size 4.25 x 5.5"

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Hello Spring!

Spring is in the air ! I hope you had a great Easter weekend and spent and that the weather was fine enough to spend some time in the yard! The bulbs are peeking up from the ground and I have a few hyacinths that have bloomed! I'm always ready to welcome Spring!

Meet Esther! Isn't she a cutie? I love the contrast of her dress - the soft lilac purple and the dramatic bold dark apron! She's sitting on a lacy Cambridge Doily so she doesn't ruin her dress while she's playing with the bunnies!

Of course it's a beautiful Spring day so butterflies are in the air. This one is from a big package of die cut butterflies of all different colors and sizes called "Butterfly Bush" - there are over 60 in a package for $3.99.

The background papers are from the Neapolitan collection that's got lots of pretty pastels. I topped that with a Purple Plum journaling card. The "Hello Spring" sentiment is from the Hopscotch Word Flags - there are lots of different words for documenting layouts that can double as card sentiments on a sheet in yummy pastel colors.

The finishing touch is adding embellishments. Yellow sequins from the Baby Avery Confetti mix look like little flowers from a distance.

A Strawberry Swirl Flair slides neatly under the raised die cut that was adhered with adhesive foam tape to show off the dimension and shine like candy! It looks like it's going to be a beautiful day!

SPDSS47 - You're A Gem!

Happy Wednesday! Are you ready for the latest Sugar Pea Designs Challenge? While the winner of the $75 gift certificate to the store is chosen every month, we have a new sketch for you every week! You can play along with as many of the weekly challenges you like. The winner of the big prize is drawn at random, so the more weeks that you play along, the more entries you have increasing your odds of being the lucky winner!

This sketch looked like a good opportunity for me to stamp a background. Diamonds a a girls best friend right? I stamped a rainbow of pretty diamonds!! I took all the small diamonds from the Sparkle and Shine set and arranged them on an acrylic block. So I didn't stamp the diamonds as an arrangement - not one at a time.

Remember that the sketch is just for reference, a rectangle does not have to be a rectangle. I switched mine for an oval shape for my sentiment.

The little star sprinkles are clear multi faceted gems. Instead of a banner hanging from the oval I threaded a bead on a sewing pin. I found the bead in the jewelry department at the craft store. I wanted something clear - again with many sides to look like a gem.

Are you ready to play now? Maybe a little more inspiration from the Challenge Design Team?

Ok.. now you're ready right? I hope you join us at Sugar Pea Designs Challenge! You can find it on the blog by clicking the "current sketch" in the right margin.

Finished Size 4.25 x 5.5"

Stamps | Sugar Pea Designs | Sparkle And Shine

Dies | Spellbinder Petite Ovals, Petite Scalloped Ovals

Gems | Dritz Pin | Bead

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Inspired by ... Cactus Floral

Have you checked out Inspired by All the Little Things? It's a new challenge created by Lesley Croghan! Every week there is a new inspiration photo and a sample from a very special guest. Then it's your turn to link up your creations. A new challenge starts every Saturday. I know.. it was a busy weekend for me too! The Easter holiday kept me hopping more than the Easter Bunny... first planning a menu, shopping, cleaning, then prepping for the big day! But we all survived and I hope a great time was had by all. Now to get back to a having things a little quieter, and maybe some crafty time to relax and engage your creative side!!

It was Tracey McNeeley's turn to choose the inspiration photo this time! Check out the pretty cactus floral arrangement. The blue green and coral together is stunning! Yes of course I have to play! LOL! Tracey's guest is Stephanie Klauck! You'll enjoy reading more about her on the Inspired by blog!

I've had this set from Waffle Flower for a while and just never got around to coloring it up. I was delighted when I saw Tracey's cactus and knew exactly what stamp I would use!

I stamped the image with Memento ink and colored with Copic markers. I am embarassed to admit how many times I colored this image before I was happy with it. I tried watercolors and lots of DIFFERENT colors.

I decided to fussy cut the image so I could add lots of coral / orange papers. The image is quite large and you wouldn't be able to see any background otherwise.

For a pop of color I added some pops of purple - one of the cactus, a pretty stitched border cut (Pretty Pink Posh), and a purple gem. My mom loves cactus and has them everywhere in her home. You'll find crochet doily under most of the smaller ones, so I added one on mine too.

I hope you find some time to join us this week! But you better be quick - can you believe it's Tuesday already?

Thursday, March 24, 2016

Umbrella Weather

I've been a little run down with the flu lately. I've got to admit I've sort of enjoyed Mr. J coming home and taking care of me this week. He's been taking care of dinner and making sure that my tea glass is full! I'm starting to think about that big Easter dinner I'm supposed to cook. Hopefully I'll be back in action by then and maybe a little help with that too? LOL! My son's girlfriend is a vegetarian - so any tips for dishes in that department would be appreciated too. I'm Polish and no one leaves our table hungry! Of course we will have some of the traditional things like ham and rye bread, but I'm flexible with the rest!

I wanted to play along with the challenge at CASology this week. - the cue word is Weather. And since I am under the weather, and YES it is RAINING here in the Chicago area the challenge seems perfect.

I swear .. this started out totally clean - the top panel only.. but then I cut it down so I could adhere it to a card base.. and I think I left the margins way too wide because it looked so empty and lonely!