Unscripted Sketch #174

...from a different angle

Hard to believe that the last long weekend of the summer is upon us! Where did the time go?

I look forward to the change of season....cooler weather, fall colors, skies full of Canada geese heading south.  But then.....the -40C hits!  The only good thing about that is the endless hours of crafting time (too darn cold to do anything else).

Another awesome sketch!  I created a trellis with strips of paper (took four tries to get it right!).  I glued a really thin strip of black paper on each side of the trellis just to give it a bit of definition.  I used 3 layers for the flowers (MFT die) and one layer for the leaves (same die).  I shaped the petals a bit before adhering them to the card with dimensionals.  The stem/vine is hand cut.  The sentiment and die are from SU Bitty Banners.  I used a copic marker to trace around the banner. The card reminds me of a Ukrainian blouse that my Baba cross stitched :)

 Hope you can find the time to play along with us this week at Unscripted Sketches.

Wishing you all a pleasant holiday weekend!

Unscripted Sketch #173

Edited to add: 
I had entered this into the CAS-ual Fridays challenge but after reading the rules, I realized that I cheated!!!  Yikes - I don't cheat!  Should have read the rules first because they clearly state that the card must not have been posted prior to the start of the challenge. I had posted the card earlier in the week for my Unscripted Sketches submission so I voluntarily deleted it from the CAS-ual Fridays challenge.  Hopefully, I can come up with another idea before their deadline :)

"Back to School" is in the air!

I have been seeing so many delightful projects featuring the return to the classrooms.  An event that is probably more welcome to the parents than the children :)  Even though my children have long left the cozy comforts of home, I still get excited when I see all the cool school supplies in the stores.  Remember how exciting it was to put your name on all those new products?

When I saw this sketch, "Blackboard" instantly popped into my mind.  I used some CTMH black paper.  The white core shows through when sanded and gave the paper a 'chalky blackboard look'.

Of course, I did not have an apple stamp (can you believe that - no apple?) so good old Clip Art to the rescue.  I colored it with my Copic markers and glossed it up with Crystal Effects and popped it up on a dimensional.  It looks so yummy that I am sure Snow White would definitely chomp a bite out of this one!

I used a white Gelly Roll pen to print the "For My Teacher" sentiment.  My printing really sucks so it didn't take much to achieve a first grader result!

The large alphabet letters were stamped using white Studio G ink (you know the cheap $!.50 kind).  The alphabet stamps are an old, OLD foam set that is really dried out!  I was pleasantly surprised though....the stamped image actually looks like chalk on a blackboard.! Moral of this wee story - don't through out old stamps!

Pop on over to the  Unscripted Sketches.blog and check out this week's DT creations.We would love to see how you were inspired by this sketch.

Happy crafting!

PS....I had entered this into the CAS-ual Fridays challenge but after reading the rules, I realized that I cheated!!!  Yikes - I don't cheat!  The rules clearly state that the card must not have been posted prior to the start of the challenge. I had posted the card earlier in the week for my Unscripted Sketches submission si I voluntarily deleted it from the CAS-ual Fridays challenge.  Hopefully, I can come up with another idea before the deadline :)

colourQ challenge #151...

Look closely and you will see that the "Thank You" sentiment is stamped in Basic Grey!!!  Hard to tell but it really is.  I just couldn't find a suitable place in the card to incorporate the grey without compromising the simplicity of the design.  I used my curvy/bendable ruler to create the curve (simply traced the outline with a Sharpie).

I used Tempting Turquoise to stamp the backside of the leaf stamp for the blue impression, then stamped the leaf on top with Momento Black.  The rhinestones were colored with an orange Copic.  The color is actually very close  Pumpkin Pie.

I chose to layer the card front with the colors showing on the left side only...seems to draw attention to the stamped image.

Check out all amazing DT creations as well as all the incredible submissions at colourQ #151 !

Minty Fresh Challenge in the Moxie Fab World

Wow! Mint Green has come a long way since my Great Grandma's dishes! The inspirational photos that Cath posted have definitely catapulted this color onto my "Trendy Color List".

Now, what needs to be said about this watch.......

Exactly!  The gold/mint green combination is elegant, clean & fresh and timeless (pun intended).  I used the face of the watch as my inspiration for the card.  I placed the circles around one of the larger circles to imitate the face of the watch.

I used several different bits and pieces of stamps for the patterned circles,  It was quite a challenge trying to maintain the somewhat graphic design element when the majority of my stamps are either too flowery, too juvenile or too swirly!

I stamped the designs using Tsukineko Encore Metallic Gold ink, and quickly sprinkled on a light dusting of gold embossing powder, then heat embossed.  I tried using Versamark but the impression was a bit too 'heavy' for some of the patterns.  The circles were then matted with a shiny gold metallic paper!

The gold pearls were also embossed.

Tip:  I used wee pop-up glue dots (smaller than the base of the pearl) to adhere the pearls to the back of an old plastic cutting board.  I used my Versamarker to coat the top and sides of the pearls.  Popping up the pearls on pop dots makes it easy to get the marker and powder down to the bottom of the pearl (no struggling with tweezers either).  The excess embossing powder then falls right off and you are left with a nice clean edge.  The embossing powder did stick to the cutting board but does clean off relatively easy.

Tip Two:  Speaking of shiny, metallic paper.....5,000,000 photos later, I decided that perhaps I should google a solution to keep the metallic paper from reflecting everything in it's path.  Simple solution - hold a light colored piece of paper in front of the card while it is being photographed to avoid the reflective paper picking up everything from the sofa to the living room window!

Want to play along with this cool color challenge?  Head on over to the The Minty Fresh Challenge at the Moxie Fab World, check out the sweet photos that Cath has posted for our browsing pleasure and then link up your project.  Hurry though, cuz the deadline is September 3rd!

Happy crafting!

CFC66 - SPLISH SPLASH

CFC66 - "Create a project featuring something you might see in or at the ocean"

Our summer has been quite busy so I haven't had time to play along with some of my favorite challenges.  Hubby went fishing (yum yum - fresh Pickerel for dinner tonight) so I had the whole day to spend in my craft room!

I used my SU Tasteful Trims die to make the waves using the reverse of the scalloped edge.  The fish is a free digi stamp is 'origin unknown'.  The 'splashes' of water are bits of a Sizzix Scribbles & Swirls die. The worm is hand drawn and the wee hook (look close, it is there) is a piece of jewellery wire.  Notice that it is a 'barbless' hook.  Conserve/Preserve....gotta do our part to sustain the walleye (Pickerel) population!

I think that I got a bit carried away with the Crystal effects....started with the worm, then the 'splashes' of water....and then the waves!  No doubt the 'wet look' was more than achieved here :)

My intentions were to play along with the ColorQ 150 challenge as well but I missed the entry deadline (awe darn!).  This card was inspired by these sweet colors:

Check out the dazzling array of DT talent as well as all the amazing entries as the CAS-ual Fridays blog.

Happy crafting!

Unscripted Sketch #172 - Piggyback Color Challenge (Optional)

Wow!  These colors were truly a challenge....but in a good way!  Having to step away from my favorite 'same old, same old' colors was actually easier than I thought!  

The sketch came together easily but trying to find colors close enough to the challenge colors was tricky!  I pulled out all my scraps and laid everything down on the floor, trying to find the right hue.  Kind of like matching up a pair of socks in the dark!  In the end, the brown proved to be the most challenging.....the sentiment fixed that!

I am a bit unsettled with the balance of this card, specifically the bottom half.  If I wouldn't have glued the flower stems down so well, I would have re-positioned them so that they criss-crossed about 1/2 inch higher than where they do on the card.  Not a biggie, but I think it would have taken care of that 'gap' near the bottom.  I did try 'squishing' in an extra leaf or two, but the result looked 'squished'....imagine that?  

Remember the piggyback is optional.  Give it a try if you want.  If not, then use the sketch alone to create to your heart's content.  Don't forget to share your creations with us! Just click to link  

Happy crafting!

Unscripted Sketches #171

Hey there! So glad that you stopped by :)

I was inspired by Ardyth's card that she posted last week.  This woman is amazing! There is not a day that goes by that a new card (or two or three) is posted on her blog.  Her work is clean & simple and her color selection is always, ALWAYS something that I just want to copy! Check it out folks - you will not be disappointed!

I just peeked in on some of the submissions from our ubber talented DT at Unscripted Sketches. You are going to be so inspired by their creations.  So, show us your stuff gals.  Just click to link!

Happy crafting!

Unscripted Sketches #170

.... hmmm, I must be stuck on the animal thing....

When I initially looked at this sketch I thought about masking and dauber inking to create either a rainbow type pattern, a sunset or sunrise, or a hilly landscape scene.  Obviously that idea didn't happen!

This fun stamp set caught my eye, particularly the shape of the vine....a perfect fit for the sketch.  It took several (seriously at least 10 tries) to get the elements lined up so that I was happy with the balance.

We have been having an incredible stretch of ridiculously hot & humid weather here in central Manitoba.  The heat is okay but the humidity is quite unbearable.  Time for some cool weather and rain.  I am watering my plants twice a day - poor things are suffering from this heat as well (or at least I think they are).

Hope you have time to play along with the sketch this week at Unscripted Sketches.  Pop on over to the blog and check out the eye candy that the rest of the DT has created just for your inspiration!

Happy crafting everyone!

Unscripted Sketch #168 Piggyback - Use an Animal

This piggyback sketch was a blast!

I found so many different funny phrases (listed below) using a cow theme that it was hard to decide which one to use.  I searched "funny cow phrases" and just about fell off my chair laughing!  Some of them were hilarious!

My favorite phrase practically had me rolling on the floor laughing.  Dear hubby thinks I'm nuts for sure!  Anyway, it wasn't really suitable for a card (unless someone has some good ideas) but here goes:

"If a cow laughs hard, does milk come out her nose?"


... is it just me or can anyone else remember laughing so hard that your beverage comes shooting out your nose?  Sick sense of humor maybe?


Here are a few of the others:
- Moo-chas Grasses!
- Do unto Udders as you would have Udders do unto you
- Sha-moooo, the killer cow!
- Nobody Udderstands me!
- Cow-a-bunga dude (picture a cow wearing a Ninja turtle head band!)
- Cow's it going?

I'm sure we all have a cute cow stamp or two (usually in the $1 bin at Michaels) so feel free to use any of these phrases.

The DT created some C-A-U-T-E critter cards so check it out here.  We would love to see your critter creations this week.  Also, don't forget that the Christmas in July celebrations continue for the whole month of July at the Unscripted Sketches blog....and remember, there are prizes!

SU Regal Rose card stock, Tasteful Trims die (small ric rac), SU texture plate, Cow stamp - Michaels

Stamp It! Cards Week: The Hello Card Challenge in the Moxie Fab World

Found time today to get this card uploaded to the Stamp It! Cards Week: The Hello Card Challenge.  Like I said in today's previous post, there are five fabulous challenges to enter and the deadline is July 23rd....so get crackin' people!

Love this color combo:  SU Pool Party and Poppy Parade.  Use my new SU Suzzix Edgeability die as well as Memory Box Stamp/Die set (sorry, forget the name). The baker's twine is from The Twinery (love the quality of their products!).  The bit of sparkle dust bling is Martha Stewart.

Happy crafting everyone!

Stamp It! Cards Week: The Birthday Challenge in the Moxie Fab World

I wanted to enter at least one of the five fun challenges in the Stamp It! Cards Week Challenges! at the Moxie Fab World but the beautiful, warm and at times, somewhat illusive summer sun seems to be getting in the way....but in a good way!!!

So, I had to settle for just one card.  I adore this cute cow stamp ($1.50 at Michael's) and decided to create a herd of sweet bovines. A bit of fussy cutting and some masking and the herd was born.  Don't you just love the expression on their faces?

The 'girls' were stamped with Black Stazon ink, SU paper, SU Tasteful Trim die and SU impression folder.

As I mentioned above, there are FIVE fabulous challenges to enter, but hurry cuz the deadline is July 23rd!  You can also find the links to the challenges in the side bar of the Moxie Fab World blog.

OLW96: Birthday Blings

Last minute decision to 'bling' up my DT card that I made for the Unscripted Sketches challenge and enter it into the One Layer Wednesday challenge at Susan's Simplicity blog..

I seldom 'bling' things up and if I do it is minimal.  So this card, in my usually blingless world, has a whole lot of bling!  It is hard to tell in the photo, but the four dots inside the smaller flower are blinged up with some sparkle dust colored with a Copic marker.  The three rhinestones have also been colored with the same color.  The stones do lose a bit of their sparkle when they have been colored, but plain silver bling just didn't cut it on this card.

Two very important lessons learned here: 
1) Always, ALWAYS use the stamp positioning tool on a finished card....especially when not wearing glasses
2) test the green ink color of the sentiment before stamping on a finished card!

Scroll down to my Unscripted Sketch post to get the rest of the details on my card.

Happy crafting!

Unscripted Sketches #167

Wow! Challenge is the key word this week.  It was late Thursday night and my mind was blank.  I must have tried at least five or six different ideas and finally settled on this.....at 1:00am!

I decided to use a vinyl stencil that I found at the dollar store.  The stencil is sticky on one side and adheres firmly to the paper.  Be careful though when peeling the stencil off your paper - they do rip easily.  There are tons of different stencils available and they were all priced at $1.  I used some rubbing alcohol to clean the stencil once I was finished coloring.

I used Copic markers on Papertrey Ink card stock.  This card stock is amazing with Copics.  I saturated the images as I colored, trying to get a watercolor look.  In hindsight, I probably should have used watercolor paper to get the markers to bleed a bit more.

The three flowers were intended to represent the sketch elements.  I felt something was missing so I stitched rectangles around the images.  My machine was not a fan of this heavy card stock! Some stitches are uneven but there are enough uneven stitches to make it look intentional !!!

Don't forget that the Christmas in July activities continue over at the Unscripted Sketches blog!

Skip on over and check out the latest challenge. The DT has some interesting interpretations of this sketch.  We would love to see what you create..  

Happy crafting everyone!

CHRISTMAS IN JULY

I'm so happy to have you visit my blog to celebrate Christmas in July.  I hope you have been following along with all the activities.  If not, hop on over to the Unscripted Sketches blog and check out the fun, fun, FUN.  Of course, there are tons of prizes and tons of chances to win!  You are not going to want to miss a day of the celebrations!

I would like to share a bit of my world with you.  One of my  favorite summer activities is playing outside!  My DH and I love to spend time puttering in the yard.  It is a constant work in progress....but it is fun, relaxing and a bit of a workout!

The highlight (at least we think it is) of our yard is our pond.  It was my birthday present from our son a few years ago.  Yes, the hole was dug by hand and yes, I helped!  It does take quite a bit of time to maintain, but it is all worth it!  We have several fish (koi and goldfish) that have grown to monster size.

Our pond in summer

.... in spring

.... and in winter (actually early spring).

Some of the Koi and goldfish

Now while we are on the subject of pictures.....I am sure  many of you struggle with taking a good picture of your projects. In the past, I would snap at least 9 million photos of one card ....outside, inside, in the sun, in the shade....trying to get a good quality photo!

Well, fret no more!  Follow these simple instructions and create an inexpensive light box that will make your world  picture perfect!  If any of my directions are confusing, please e-mail me at ggreener@mymts.net and ask for clarification.

Also, please remember that this is a very rough version.  My real light box is much neater than this!!!

Step One:
Select a sturdy box and cut off the top flaps (Photo #1 and #2)

Photo #1

Photo #2

 Step Two:
Cut out inside panels from three sides of the box.  Make sure to leave at least a 1" border. (Photo #3)

Glue down the bottom flaps. Gluing down the flaps will give you a nice solid and even base to set your card on (Photo #4)

Photo #3

Photo #4

Step Three:  NO PHOTO AVAILABLE but please read!
Paint the inside of the box (the frames and the top & bottom with some white paint.  I used regular latex house paint.  Don't skip this step as you don't want dark colors to cast shadows inside the light box.

Step Four:
Adhere tissue paper or a light weight white cotton to the two sides and the top (this is where the 1" border comes into play).  I initially used tissue paper but found that it tore too easily so I switched to cheap white cotton pillow cases ($4 at Walmart).  I used my husband's hockey sock tape to secure the material to the sides. Seriously, hockey sock tape is the next best thing to Crazy glue! (Photo #5, Photo #6, Photo #7)

Photo #5

Photo #6

Photo #7

*** I left a bit of the top showing in this photo just to give you an idea of this process. Completely cover the top of the box.
















Step 5:
Cut a piece of poster board about 1/2 inch narrower than the inside width of the box (Photo #8).

Photo #8

Fit this piece into your box to establish the length you will need.  You want the piece to fit inside the box with a bit of a curve.  Do not crease the paper to fit the box.  Think ski slope.  You may have to play around with the length a bit so that the poster board sits snugly up against the inside front edge (Photo #9).

Tip: I used some scrap paper first to get the dimensions that I needed and then cut the poster board based on those measurements.

Photo #9

Step 6:
This last step will depend on whether or not you have a place to permanently keep the light box (Photo #10 and #11).

Photo #10

Photo #11

I used some old lamp bases (plus a garage sale find or two).  I placed the light box on top of a small filing cabinet, set the lamps on some cardboard boxes (told you this isn't high tech). Our basement is under renovation right now so I was able to secure the top light directly on to the wall..

It is important to have a light source from the front as well.  I use a small table lamp base that I move around manually, depending on which angle I will take the picture.

Tip:  If your card has some dimension to it, you might have to move the front light either from side to side or top to bottom to get rid of the shadow.  Contrary to this, the shadow might also be used to highlight the depth/dimension of your card.

You might also consider setting up your light box on something that is table height or higher to make it easier to photograph your items (much easier on the back!!!)

Step 7:
The key here is the type of light bulb to use!  I used the Sylvannia brand, but there are others.  What is important is that they are:

23 Watt, 120 Volt CFL Daylight bulbs. A daylight bulb provides a 'natural' light' and keeps the colors quite true.

So there you have it!  A few easy steps and you are on your way to stress free (and time saving) photography!

I hope you have enjoyed my spotlight session during our Christmas in July celebrations.

Please come back and visit again soon!

Unscripted Sketches #166

Hello visitors!  Glad you stopped by today.  

Have you visited our Christmas in July festivities at the Unscripted Sketches blog? If not, then scoot on over there now and find out how you can win some great prizes and get to know a little bit more about the design team members!

This sketch was a doozey!  I actually had one other card made but felt it was just too busy.  I may post it later.

The trickiest part about this card was lining up my hole punch on each panel so that everything lined up when the card was assembled!  Took a try or two on some of the pieces and I'm sure if someone took a ruler to this it probably would be out a schmick or two!

Just a reminder that my "Designer Spotlight Day" is July 10th.  I would love to have you stop by a take a peek at some pictures and also the super easy but very worthwhile project I have lined up to share with you. 

Just a wee hint:  It could make your world picture perfect!

Button, twine, sentiment & Rich Razzleberry - Stamping Up; Close to My Heart white paper.

Happy crafting!

CHRISTMAS IN JULY

Christmas fun in July.....fun projects, designer spotlights, a daily song bingo game (some of you know that I love Bingo) and prizes, LOTS OF PRIZES!!!  


Unscripted Sketches has some awesome plans for the month of July.  In addition to the other fun activities, each DT member will be featured on specific spotlight days.  Visit our personal blogs (the links will be available on the main US blog) where we will share pictures, projects, recipes, stories, ideas, and much, much more.

You are not going to want to miss a day of these celebrations (or the daily Bingo songs)!  This is a perfect time to get to know what the team members do in their "other" lives.

Stop by the Unscripted Sketches blog to find out all the details.

My personal spotlight day is July 10th.  Please stop by, say hello, take a peek at my pictures and my project.  I would love to have you visit for Christmas in July.  HO HO HO....at least there is no snow!

Unscripted Sketches #165

Wow - did you see last week's entries?  The submissions were amazing!   It is so exciting to see more and more entries into our weekly sketches. I marvel at the clever interpretations that I see each week.  We would love to have you pass on our challenge information to your crafting friends and invite them to play along as well.

Now, what is this card intended to be you ask?  It is a clipboard with one of those big bulldog type clips at the top!  In hindsight, I should probably have made the top piece a bit narrower and only used two "rivets" (eyelets) instead of three.  Let's just say that this is one of those heavy duty clips!

As soon as I saw this sketch, this was the first idea that popped into my head and try as I may, I just couldn't get past it.  I chose a nice bright background paper but almost to no avail as my "note/list" covers it up!

The "list" was done on my computer (because who has stamps with words like that?).  I feel like I am cheating though when I use computer generated font.  Actual stamping just seems more crafty.

I am sure that these next several weeks are going to be "summer time busy" for everyone (me included) but if you have a rainy day and nothing else to do, create a project and link it up at Unscripted Sketches.

Thanks for stopping by today.  Happy crafting!

Play Date Cafe Challenge #137

How is this for a snappy color combo?

This is actually my first time playing along with a Play Date Cafe Challenge.   I see so many beautiful entries to their challenges while I am touring my favorite blogs but have never found the time to play along. 

... until today when I visited Lisa's blog (I'm in Haven) and was so inspired by her amazing card.  I decided that the yard work can wait until tomorrow as I had more important things to do.

Alas, my hands were working faster than my brain!  It was one of those 'Aha moments' when I realized  that the color blue is intended as a splash of color.  Well my splash is pretty much the whole gallon!

Head on over to their blog and join in on all the fun!

Thanks for stopping by today.  

Happy crafting!

Unscripted Sketch #164

Happy Saturday everyone! I'm so glad you stopped by.

.... ya think I just got some of my new SU supplies?  Yup!  This adorable stamp (from the new catty) was #1 on my list of "Need to Have" stamps.  I used Copics to color this sweet image.  I do want to try using some fun colors for the animals (like pink elephants, blue lions etc) next time round.  I love the 'congratulations' sentiment - wavy like the ocean with a really cool font!

The blue cloud sky paper has been in my stash for ages.  It works perfectly with the Tempting Turquoise card stock and the 'ocean' theme. The popped up clouds are MFT dies, sponged with a couple of different shades of blue. 

The sun is finally shining here so it is going to be HARD to play indoors in my craft room instead of outside in the yard.  I do hope you can find some time to play along with us this week. Just click here link.

Happy crafting!