Play Date Cafe Challenge #23

Welcome to another fun Play Date Cafe Challenge...

This week's colors come from Sarah Anderson


Light blue, Ivory and deep blue. I immediately thought of china. The beautiful china that has a lovely patina from years of use. That was my inspiration for my card.

I pulled out my Memory Box Antique Damask stamp and inked it up with Memento Summer Sky and then stamped it across the front of the card. I repeated with the Versafine Majestic Blue to give it a lovely shadowy effect.

The border is punched using a lovely large scallop from EK Success border punch.

The main image is stamped from Impression Obsession Rose Stem from Alesa Bakers Designs. I colored it using my watercolor pencils. I stamped this inside a lovely stamped image from Fiskars. The background is stamped using the Hero Arts artistic windows and the light blue dye ink. The die cut shape is from Spellbinders Nestabilities Label 8.

Take a peek at all the other design team members, you won't be disappointed.
Sarah Anderson
Stephanie Kraft
Ruby 2 Shoes
Savannah O'Gwynn
Mona Pendleton
Julie Ranae
Lisa Somerville

and our guest designer ...

Arielle H Gordon

Hope you get a chance to play along with us at the Play Date Cafe Challenge.

Suzz

Scraps

I know I just shared a card with the new bird cage die cut... But.... I had to cut a few more of the bird cage... and ended up using some scraps I had stamped but didn't put on a card.... and then there was this beautiful bird cage.... and and...

Do I sound like the kids when they weren't supposed to be doing something and you catch them at it?


Take a look at this beautiful card by Virginia. It was part of the inspiration for this card...

I had stamped damask (Memory Box) in Bahama Blue Memento Dye ink on the ivory cardstock. I was cutting some extra dies and this birdcage came out with the random stamping. Loved the effect and decided to pair it with green butterflies. The butterflies are a die cut as well from Spellbinders.

The stamped image is from the Artistic Windows set from Hero Arts. While I was deciding which buttons to use on the butterflies I had a bunch of them laying on the birdcage and liked the effect. So they ended up along the bottom of the birdcage.

The sentiment is from Tim Holtz Visual Artistry collection. If you are a neat stamper you do not want to use this stamp. I stamped it the first time on a scrap and thought I had made a mess. Then I realized that no matter what it was going to come out distressed. I actually liked the effect.

The background is a scrapblock stamp from Cornish Heritage Farm.

Thanks for stopping by...

Suzz

Another PDCC Card

Here is another card created using the Play Date Cafe colors this week.

I was so excited to find the new Ranger birdcage. The die cut is so much fun because it includes the bird and birdcage.

The card was created by using a circle template and cutting out the center to create a window into the inside of the card.

The inside was stamped with the Hero Arts Flower Word Pattern using Versamark. Heat embossed with clear embossing powder and sponged using the new Tumbled Glass Distress Ink.

The branches(Hero Arts) and sentiment(Memory Box) were stamped using Versacolor Burgandy. The Antique flower brocade was also stamped on the birdcage using the burgandy pigment ink.

The bird is die cut from the Prima Marketing Inc., Nursery Tales paper.

The front of the card is stamped using Hero Arts Shadow Ink (Soft Sand) and the wood finish stamp.

Everything is distressed using a sponge dauber and the Memento Rich Cocoa.

Thanks for stopping by...

Suzz

Eggstra Eggstra Read all About it...

Yesterday myself and the other Hero Hostesses were lucky enough to share some of our cards on the Hero Arts Blog.

We had an idea to do a series of egg shaped cards and there is a template over on the HA blog for this shape created by Linda ak Oz if you are interested in trying this out.

As you can see I went through a few iterations of eggs and then couldn't decide which one. I had a few people vote on them and made a decision on which one to share on the HA blog.

The first one was intended to look like a cut out egg where you were able to see the inside of the egg and the beautiful decorations within. The flowers are all from a Hero Arts Wallpaper Flowers and colored using my trusty watercolor pencils. The butterflies are punched from the Marvy Uchida punches. The stem on the main image is from the Hero Arts Heart Flower Blossoms.

The second series of eggs includes the card I actually put up on the blog. The one of the left is how the card started. I created it and distressed the inside to match the outside color. After I let it sit overnight I decided it was too drab and pulled the back off the card and found a lovely butter cream inside and replaced it. Do you rework your cards? I tend to do that a lot if I am not happy with the final results. The flowers are this beautiful Dogwood stamp from Hero Arts and once again I used my watercolor pencils. The bird stamp is from Hero Arts set called Two Birds. The sentiments are from Cornish Heritage Farms - CDD-1674C Happy Easter Script, and Memory Box.

Finally this was actually my favorite one and the one that I would have selected. I loved the idea of a wood grain egg and some natural elements. So I did two versions of this. The butterfly was actually a scrap from another project where it didn't quite fit so it was happy to end up on this card. Everything on both cards is from Hero Arts. :)

The best part of the whole project is that now I have a bunch of Easter cards or springtime cards to send off to family and friends.

Hope you are having a lovely day!

Suzz

Play Date Cafe Challenge # 22

I am so excited to share the colors for Play Date Cafe Challenge #22 selected by Julie Ranae.

I went into my pile of papers and I have this lovely set I haven't ever used with vintage prints including a bunny who looks a little like the Mad Hatter. (Prima Marketing Inc., Nursery Tales) I decided to create a vintage Easter card.

I took pictures of this card every which way (natural light, shadow box, with flash, without flash) and couldn't get the true colors to reflect even with some editing. :) Trust me when I say that they are a distressed version of the challenge colors.

The lovely tree with eggs is a stamp from Memory Box from the Easter Release. I stamped it using Versamark and heat embossed using white embossing powder. The tree is fun because it has the eggs dangling from the branches and you get to pick your colors. I used a watercolor pencil to color them in and added polka dots using my white gel pen. I then stickled them to give them the glisten.

The eggs on the ground were drawn using my white gel pen and they were colored and sparkled up just like the tree. Wouldn't it be great if the Easter bunny were able to pull all his eggs from a a tree? (already decorated even)

The front of the card was stamped using Hero Arts Raindrop Design Block. Stamped with Versamark and heat embossed with white embossing powder.

The sentiment was stamped using Versacolor Burgandy on the pattern paper. I then cut it to make a little banner. The Stickles were added to give it a little glimmer.

Everything else was just layering of the paper. I did emboss the taupe paper with a Cuttlebug embossing folder.

Take a peek at all the other design team members, you won't be disappointed.

Sarah Anderson
Stephanie Kraft
Ruby 2 Shoes
Savannah O'Gwynn
Mona Pendleton
Julie Ranae
Lisa Somerville

and our fabulous guest designer this month...

Jean F Banks

Hope you have a lovely day and thanks as always for stopping by!

P.S. I am pleased that the Hero Apronettes (including me) are taking over the Hero Arts Blog today as well. If you get a chance pop over there. I promise it will be egg-citing!

Suzz

Tag Tuesday Challenge # 44- Black & White

Louise's Tag challenge this week is to create a tag using only black and white...



I was looking forward to trying this out... I had visions of using the diamond pattern or a split image. Instead.....

I ended up using a mask and sponging on black dye ink. I liked the effect. The mask was one I have had for a long time and never used so I was happy to try it out.

I had a hard time finding a white Prima flower in my bin. I found four that were too large for my tag so I had to fold them over and create my flowers using that method.

The butterfly was embossed using the Zing black glitter embossing powder. I didn't think it had enough zing so I applied glitter with a glue pen around the edges.

The shape of my tag is very much inspired by Jacqueline's gorgeous tags that you can admire here. (The best part is she sent me some of them and they are hanging up in my craft room and they are beautiful!!!)

I took one set of pictures with no background paper and you couldn't see the white frame, so I re-took the pictures with my favorite Memory Box pattern paper (Happenstance).

Products:

• Hero Arts - Friends Definition
• Memento - Tuxedo Black
• Versafine - Onyx Black
• Spellbinders Nestabilities - Labels 8
• Tim Holtz - Idea-ology Mini Masks - Floret
• Hero Arts - Gems
• Prima Flowers
• Hero Arts - Butterfly with Ferns
• American Craft - Zing - Black glitter embossing powder

Hope you are having a lovely Tuesday...

Suzz

Report Card Time

I don't think I would mind getting a report card like this... I had originally thought to make this a tag but the size would have required a tag card and I loved the report card image. So it just turned into a card. The background is from a package of goodies I purchased and I think it is 7 Gypsies Ephemera.



I was playing around with my Hero Arts Silhouette Grass and decided to use the report card background. The Grass is stamped with toffee mixed with vintage sepia. The dragonflies are from the Antique Engravings set from Hero Arts as well. They are stamped using a light green dye ink and I added some distress stickles. The bodies are Memory Box pearls and they are the perfect golden color to match the Toffee. The lace along the top is Stampers Anonymous and in the same lovely green dye ink.



Hope you have a lovely Sunday and that it is peaceful.



Suzz

Spring Maybe? and a few challenges

We just had such a beautiful week of warm spring weather. Then this morning we wake up with about an inch of snow on the ground and a light swirling snow and grey skies. That is our spring. :)

Louise's Tuesday Tag Challenge # 43 is to create a spring tag. The Moxie Fab World challenge is about Doily and Lace. So I put the two together following up on my card from yesterday and came up with this:

Can you tell I was experimenting with stamping the doily in different colors? I loved how the new Ranger Distress Ink Bundled Sage looked on the scrap cardstock that I turned it into my tag for the spring challenge. For me the indicator that spring started was the sighting of a Robin our backyard. So my tag is based on the birds and the nests.

Then I liked the effect of the sage lace so much I decided to create a card using the same concept.

The card uses a little bit of real lace for the nest with a little twine tied in a bow intertwined with the lace. There are a few pearls mixed in my doily. Our birds here are very creative as the last nest that fell had quite a few bits and pieces of thread and other items from the family. I am thinking they were pulling from the dryer trap outside.

Products:

• Hero Arts - Starburst Lace, Bird in Cage, Long Branch, Everyday Sayings
• Impression Obsession - Alesa Baker Design - D6973, Bird on a Candycane
• Ranger Distress Inks - Bundled Sage, Wild Honey, Mustard Seed
• Versafine - Vintage Sepia
• B Line Design - Bird Silhouette Cube
• Pearls
• Vintage Lace, Twine, Lace Trim
• Marvy Uchida Corner Rounder

Have a fantastic day and hope the sun is shining by you.... (FYI my teenage son just got up and said "More Snow?" with a grimace which tells you we are done with snow as the kids always want more snow.)

Suzz

Moxie Fab Challenge - Doily and Lace

Who doesn't love a little lace or doily on their cards? This card is for the Moxie Fab Challenge Diggin on Doilies and Lace.

I am loving the Starburst Lace stamp from Hero Arts. I decided to use the Hero Arts soft shadow ink Soft Lilac (Shadow Ink) for the background. The flowers are from Penny Black 3360K Curlicue stamp and stamped using Versafine Royal Purple ink.

The ribbon is glued down using tape gun and glue dots. I started with a stripe of glue across the front of the card. I folded it over and glue dotted it down and repeated across the front. Very time consuming and if I had an ounce of sewing skills probably would be a lot easier. :)

Thanks for stopping by...

Suzz

Play Date Cafe Challenge #21

The Play Date Cafe Challenge this week is a combination of yummy pinks and yellow. Look at these fantastic colors:

I played around with these colors and decided to go with my yellow sky again and some lovely pink flowers waving in the wind.

We have been having some fabulous sunny and warmer days and it feels like spring has finally sprung. That inspired this happy little scene.

Come on over and join in the challenge!

Suzz

Happy St. Patty's Day

Happy St. Patty's Day!

This was a tag I made awhile ago and never shared. I thought why not share it with you today as it is St. Patty's Day!

I also am going to share one of the cards I made for my BIL/SIL who have St. Patty's Day birthdays and are celebrating their 50th birthday today! Happy birthday Linda and Dave!

I tried stamping on my foil using my StaZon and apparently it is all dried up. So I improvised and did some dry embossing on the foil. Which I actually liked the effect.

So sorry I have been very busy with lots of different things and hopefully will be able to share a few of those other projects as the week goes on!

Have a wonderful day!

Suzz

Play Date Cafe Challenge # 20 and Blog Hop!

I am so excited to share with you that I have been invited to join The Play Date Cafe Challenge design team.

This week the Play Date Challenge includes a blog hop to celebrate the new design team and also to say goodbye to Julie Campbell, who has been on the design team for the past 4 months. To celebrate Julie achievements and the new design team, we are having a BLOG HOP!


To see what you can win and to get started from the beginning, you need to start from The Cafe.

If you came here from Mona Pendleton's fabulous blog, you are in the right place.


Here are THREE ways to give you the best chance to win:

1. Make sure you stop at each designer's blog and leave a comment.There are ONLY 9 total and all you have to do is click on the name! (You must leave a comment at each blog.)

2. Become a follower of The Play Date Cafe...easy-peasy!

3. Play along with this week's color challenge.

All the details on how to play are on the sidebar in The Cafe.

The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced on the 18th at the CAFE.

The next stop in the blog hop is the wonderful blog of Julie Ranae Julie's Open Window. Hop on over and check out her lovely creation for this week's challenge.

Onto the challenge....

This week's challenge is a creativity challenge:

Look at those lovely greens with just a hint of lavender. I was inspired to use the colors along with a the neutrals included in the picture.

My card based on the challenge:

The background is from Hero Arts Antique Flower Background stamped with the Hero Arts shadow ink Soft Sand. The flowers are colored using watercolor markers and misted to give a slight watercolor effect. I used the same technique on both layers of my butterfly. The butterfly is from a Hero Arts set called Artistic Butterflies. The flower stamp is from Magenta A09150M. The sentiment is from Paper Bag Studios stamped using the Memento Bamboo leaves.

I am very excited we have had several days with 50 degree weather which has me thinking maybe spring has finally started for us. Hope your day is sunny and bright!

Suzz

Just for Fun...

I was playing around with some stamps on Friday night and ended up creating this:
It is hard to see on this picture but the center of the clock has been cut out and you peek into the inside of the card. I had stamped this bird for the IO challenge but ended up not using it so it came over and nested on this card.

The stamps are all Hero Arts with the exception of the bird which is Impression Obsession. The ferns are stamped using the new Ranger Distress Ink Crushed Olive.

Products:

• Hero Arts - CG138 Ledger
• Hero Arts - CG166 Big Clock
• Hero Arts - K5314 Silhouette Fern
• Hero Arts - CL388 Live in the Moment
• Hero Arts - CG125 Friends Definition
• Versafine - Vintage Sepia, Toffee
• Impression Obsession - Bird with a Candy Cane
• Ranger Distress Inks - Crushed Olive
• Watercolor Pencils
• Pearls, Raffia
  

Going to have a few busy days with work and family. So no stamping for me for a few days. Maybe I will have to stamp up a few images to color at lunch. :)

Have a lovely Sunday!

Suzz

Impression Obsession Challenge

The Impression Obsession challenge this week is to make a card for Easter. You can find the challenge HERE.

I have a couple of fantastic Cover a Card stamps from IO and wanted to use them on this card. I don't have any Easter stamps from IO so I was a little bit more spring like in my approach.

I went on line and looked for some Easter quotes and found this lovely one from Alice Palmer. I like the idea of life, love and peace being re-born as I think of Easter and spring as being like that.

The background on the green is stamped using the new Ranger Distress Ink Crushed Olive and uses the IO stamp Tapestry 2. It is a very pretty flowery background.

The second IO stamp I used was the Greenery stamp on the background of the words. I stamped that using the Pear Tart color from Memento.

The last stamp I used from IO was the birds and they are stamped using the versafine vintage sepia and kissed onto the tapestry stamp.

The punches are all EK success.

Well off to clean the house... ARGH! I hope you have a lovely Saturday and lovely weekend. I have a post lined up for tomorrow which I think is really cute.

Suzz

Butterfly Tag #2 and Tag #3

Here are the other butterflies... inspired by Louise's challenge this week to create a tag with brown and one other color.

I tend to create multiple versions of any project I do. So the butterfly I created before came from this butterfly. I wasn't sure I liked the mix of stamps I used on the butterfly. After I finished the first one I came back to this butterfly.
I put it on the tag after the butterfly was completed. The second butterfly was inspired by the idea of using the medallion flower stamp on a glimmer mist background. I really love the effect of the petals as butterfly wings but got stuck on the body of the butterfly because of it's size. Sometimes when I take pictures of something it loses something in the translation. This is one of those. Other times the card looks better in the photo. But definitely the softness of this didn't translate into the picture.

The stamp used on the bigger butterfly is the Hero Arts Medallion and the background is glimmer mist taffy.

The smaller butterfly used a variety of stamps from Stampabilities, Penny Black, and Hero Arts.

The inks were Memento Rose Bud, StaZon Fuschia, Memento Rich Cocoa, and Versafine Vintage Sepia.

The tag shape was traced from a Hero Arts Clear tag.

Hope you have a lovely day!

Suzz

Play Date Cafe Challenge #19

Look at this lovely lemony goodness that is the color challenge for Play Date Cafe this week:

Yellows are such a fantastic spring time color... So bright and cheery when the skies tend to be grey and gloomy.

I have been wanting to ink up the Flower Trio stamp from Hero Arts and this gave me a chance to play with it using my yellow copics.

The image is stamped using Memento Rich Cocoa and colored using the Copic markers. The background is stamped using Memento Dandelion and the sentiment (Hero Arts) stamped with Memento Rich Cocoa.

The circle and scalloped circles are die cut from the spellbinders nestabilities.

A simple card but very bright and cheery.

Thanks for stopping by... Hope the sun is shining by you.

Suzz

Tag Tuesday Challenge #42

Louise's challenge this week is to create a tag with brown and another color. What a great choice pairing brown with another color...


I actually created 3 butterfly tags for this challenge and I am sure the other two will show up in the near future... I decided to use brown and pink together as they are such a beautiful color combination.

The template is from Fiskars. I hand cut the shape.

The music background is a stamp from Stampabilities which I stamped in the center of the butterfly using brown pigment ink. The flowers are are Penny Black stamp and I stamped it twice with a lighter pink and a darker pink.

The edges are distressed using Memento Rich Cocoa. The flower is a flower from Prima Marketing Camelot Roses. I punched the leaves using an EK success punch. The antenna were a pearl accent found in the wedding section of the craft store.

Thanks for stopping by..

Suzz

Red Ink on Kraft

I saw some lovely paper at the store which had red damask against a kraft paper. I wanted to see if I could re-create the effect. This is what I came up with..

I couldn't get the same color of red on the kraft. I tried several distress inks and ended up using the fired brick.

The background image is the elegant brocade stamp from Hero Arts. The sentiment is from Verses (Grow Old) and the flowers are Prima. I used the friends cling stamp from hero arts on kraft cardstock. I heat embossed with white embossing powder and punched leaves to accent the flowers.

I hope you are having a fabulous Monday.

Suzz