Sunflower Studio

SUINK - APRIL SNEAK PEEKS!

Here are my sneak peeks for the STORAGE UNITS, INK & MORE! new releases....'bout time, right?!!  It took me a while because I wanted to get at least one card made using each of the new sets.  Three new ones this time...yea baby!  Here goes....

APRIL SHOWERS
Two cuties all decked out in their rain gear!  Don't know about where you live but this is oh-so-true here in Maryland....in fact, I think it started early this year, the rain.  But I did notice some trees flowering today.  Not sure when that happened but it was a welcome sight.  I'm so ready for sun and fun!  This set is called RAIN, RAIN GO AWAY.

WELCOME TO THE ZOO
You're gonna love this one too....the animals are soooo adorable.  I'm partial to the hippo but I didn't use him here.  No hippo paper, dontcha know?!  I dug around in my really old patterned papers to come up with this stuff.  Can you believe it?  Remember when all of the patterned paper was like this stuff...hee hee.  It cracks me up looking at what I bought so long ago.  Anyway...you'll find lots of fun zoo critters and sentiments to go with in the WELCOME TO THE ZOO set.

SO HAPPY YOU'RE MY MOM
And we can't forget Mom!  Mother's Day will be here before you know it.  You know how SUINK has all of these "kid" images...well those will be perfect to use with this set, THINKING OF MOM.  In addition to some design elements and these big "M-O-M" letters you'll find plenty of sentiments to use to show your mom how much she means to you!  Here's my wonderful mom....love you, Mom!

SUINK - NEW RELEASE SNEAK PEEK - APRIL

A new month is right around the corner and that means new releases from STORAGE UNITS, INK & MORE!   I know...I'm a little late with this announcement but I was out of town.  I didn't want you to miss out though! 

You are going to love the three new sets that are being released this month!  As they say, seeing is believing so here is the schedule of sneak peeks so you can see for yourself how fabulous these sets and our DT are! You can check in with each individual below or just head on over to the SUINK blog and see everything in one place.  I've already peeked and I'm "WOW-ed" for sure!!

March 29

Janna Hull
Laura Leonard
Colleen Wold

March 30th

Amber Kroening.
Kristen Catalano
Mary Jo Price-Williams

March 31

Cathleen Torina
Me

I'll be posting sometime tomorrow so please come back and take a look!

TCP TUESDAY #51 - Easter Peeps

As promised, here's my TCP Tuesday Sketch Challenge card!  All of the details for this week's challenge and the sketch are in this morning's post - click HERE to go there directly.

I think this bunny is so funny - peeking out from his hole!  The bunny with the carrots and the sentiment stamps are all in the Beans & Bunnies & Peeps, Oh My! (S-8633 CL) Clearly Swanky stamp set.  The patterned, sparkly and textured papers are from the Spring pad by DCWV.  The big brad is by Making Memories and the thin ribbon is from Jo-Ann's.

Grab your Easter stamps and get stampin'......time's a runnin' out!

 

TCP TUESDAY #51 - Sketch Challenge

Hey Bloggers!  It's time again around here for TCP Tuesday and a sketch challenge.  Life has gotten crazy for me lately and I've decided to hand the monthly TCP sketch challenge off to Carole Burrage so this will be my last time hosting.  I hope you'll play along!

This week's sketch has lots of room for stamped images and plenty of space for patterned paper - we all know how much I like that!  Some of the other TCP design team gals have already done their cards and they're fabulous, as usual.  You MUST check them out - the list is on the left so you can easily click on over.  I've been working on some other things for the past week so my card's not quite done yet but I'll post before the day is over.

Please use keyword TCPTUES51 if you're posting over at Splitcoast or PCP.  Next week will be the 52nd TCP Challenge! Can you believe it's been a year already?!  You should link your card HERE with this post on my blog by midnight eastern on Saturday, March 28th to be entered into this month's Swanky Stamper contest.  Grab your Cat's Pajamas stamps and get goin'!

S2G - TWISTED THURSDAY CHALLENGE #3!!

It's that time of the week again, when those zany ladies from Shirley's 2 Girls want to challenge stampers everywhere to participate in their fun sketch challenges. And of course it's called "Twisted Thursday" because there is a twist to the sketch. This week's twist is to ADD HARDWARE.

We'd love to have you all play along with us! If you have Shirley's 2 Girls stamps, please use them!! We'd love to see what you do with them. If you don't own any S2G stamps (YET! hehehe), we'd still love for you to play along with us. Please create a project using this week's sketch AND add hardware (brads, clips, staples, or any other type of metal hardware that you might have in your stash!). Upload your project to your favorite online gallery - if you upload to SCS or PCP, please use the keywords S2GSC3 AND shirleys2girls. Then post a direct link to your creation in a comment on THIS POST ON KAROLYN'S BLOG.

The winner will be chosen using Random.org, so everyone has a chance to win. You wanna know what you can win if you play along? Well, those sweet ladies at Shirley's 2 Girls have offered up a stamp of your choice from all the fun images that they carry, AND your card will be showcased here on my blog AND in the Shirley's 2 Girls Gallery. Pretty sweet, huh? So, what the heck are you waiting for?!! Run, don't walk, to your craft room and create something fabulous for this week's Twisted Thursday challenge! The challenge runs from today (3/19/09) until midnight (PDT) on Sunday, 3/22/09.

S2G - TWISTED THURSDAY CHALLENGE

This week, the design team for SHIRLEY'S 2 GIRLS is thrilled to host the very first TWISTED THURSDAY CHALLENGE.  For now, we're working with some fun sketches.  Each Thursday, we'll give you a sketch to follow...the "twisted" part is that there will be something else specific that needs to be included.  This week, the twist is to incorporate scallops into your card...anyplace that you like...that's up to you!

And, although we'd love for you to use S2G stamps, we realize that they're new and they're just getting out there...so use whatever you have.  Post a link to your card over at KAROLYN's blog.  She's our hostess.  Please use keyword S2GSC2 if you're uploading to Splitcoast or PCP.  There's a little contest too!  A random winner will be chosen to win a S2G stamp of their choice.  Excellent!  The challenge will run from 3/12 to 3/15 at 12:00am Pacific time.  So get your card together and post your link.  You wanna win, dontcha?!

My card uses this fun little stamp called, what else, NO PLACE LIKE HOME (SG-163).  I had this awesome red mirror paper that I just knew I had to use on the ruby red slippers.  It's so great in person!  The patterned papers are from a DCWV Spring pad.  I colored it up with the Copics and added some photo corners and silver Dew Drops.  The Martha Stewart seam binding ribbon completes the sketch.  What do you think?  Ready to join in?  Let's do it!!  Need a little inspiration?  Over in my left hand sidebar is the DT list for S2G...click in on them to see their versions of the sketch.

WHACHADOIN' WEDNESDAY CHALLENGE #31 - Easter Cards

Is it Wednesday?  Well for about 45 more minutes it is!  Squeaking in just under the wire then, huh?  This weeks Whachadoin' Wednesday Challenge at STORAGE UNITS, INK & MORE! is to create an Easter card using the YOU'RE SOME BUNNY SPECIAL set that was released this month.  This is another versatile SUINK set...not only does it have everything you'll need to create some adorably cute Easter creations, you'll be able to use many of the stamps in other non-holiday cards too.  I really like that about these sets!

So here's the kids out for their Easter Egg hunt in their Sunday finest.  So bright and colorful!  The little chicks have joined in to help root out the eggs...just look at that one that hopped right off the ground.  (ha ha...one of those "happy mistakes"...riiiiight).

Make sure to click on over to the SUINK blog and see what the other design team ladies have created.  They really are making some amazing cards over that and I wouldn't want ya to miss them.  Please join us if you like and post at Splitcoast...use keyword SUINKWWC31 so that we can find your artwork.

Supplies:  Stamps - YOU'RE SOME BUNNY SPECIAL set from STORAGE UNITS, INK & MORE!; Paper - Papertrey White, Coredinations textured CS, patterned papers by DCWV; Ink - Tuxedo Black Memento ink; Other - Copic Markers, Dew Drops, Martha Stewart seam binding ribbon, Janome Sew Mini Machine, SU! scalloped edge punch.

DOODLEFACTORY - AMERICAN GOTHIC?

So, you know the famous painting, right?  AMERICAN GOTHIC is a painting by Grant Wood from 1930.  (Yup, just looked it up on Wikipedia..ain't the internet grand?!)  I sat down to make something using the DoodleFactory Easter set and while flipping through my stamp binder I noticed the grumpy looking male bunny in the DoodleFactory Country set.  His expression is classic!  And the whole American Gothic image just popped into the front of my brain.

I stamped the boy and girl bunnies next to each other and hand drew in the pitchfork.  I sort of "stippled" in the grass to give it that mottled look.  I cut these guys out but just the upper portion so that I could "pop up" the people to make them look way forward of their background.  The barn scene from DF Country fit the bill perfectly here, although, the house from that set would work just as well.  I added a white cardstock layer as the base for the stamped images and used my Fiskars Deckle edged scissors to make it look like an old photograph.  I aged it a little using a light brown Copic marker and the Copic Airbrush system.  Some black photo corners and this fun wood patterned paper finished it all off.

I've posted this little challenge over at Paper Craft Planet.  Anyone else wanna give it a try?!

Supplies:  Stamps - DF Country and DF Easter set from Starving Artiststamps; Paper - SU! Chocolate Chip, Kiwi Kiss, white and black textured by DCWV, patterned paper from Cosmo Cricket, Papertrey White; Ink - Tuxedo Black Memento ink; Other - Copic Markers, Fiskars deckle edged scissors, Copic Airbrush

DOODLEFACTORY - EASTER and CHICKS RULE!

I've been working with some new DOODLEFACTORY cards this week.  Irene and Tracy came up with more of their fabulous animals - a whole new set for Easter.  You can always count on these gals to be unique and fun...that's for sure!

HIPPITY HOPPITY   

This adorable bunny just screamed out "Hippity Hoppity Easter's On It's Way!" when I saw it.  I paired her up with this great fence stamp from the DF Country set to set the scene.  The DF Easter set also has these great flowers and includes the big spotted egg too.  I tried a bit of "stippling" for the grass.  This is something that I've seen Irene do - and I think Julie Ebersole too.  I love the mottled look.  I'm still practicing.  I wanted my sentiment to be a part of that famous Easter song so I used my JustRite stamper and small letters alphabet to create the medallion.

Supplies:  Stamps - DF Easter and DF Country from STARVING ARTISTSTAMPS, JustRite stamper; Paper - Papertrey White, SU! pink textured, DCWV yellow textured, Coredinations green textured, patterned papers by Paper Salon; Ink - Tuxedo Black Memento Ink; Other - Copic Markers, Nestabilities dies, Janome Sew Mini machine, Martha Stewart ribbon, Creative Imaginations flower button.

CHICKS RULE!

Aren't these chicks so funny?!  I love them.  I had this "chick" paper in my stash for forever.  (You know, hoarding and all....)  Speaking of hoards, here's a hoard of little chicks. You can hear them all "peeping" at once!  The chick stamp is in the DF Country set.  The "chicks rule" sentiment is in the FRESH AND FUNKY FARM sentiment set.

Supplies:  Stamps - DF Country set and Fresh and Funky sentiment set; Paper - textured papers by Coredinations and DCWV, Papertrey White, patterned paper by Reminisce; Ink - Tuxedo Black Memento ink; Other - Copic Markers and Multiliner, Stamping Bella Baubles, Pinking Shears

S2G CHALLENGE

I'm not sure that I mentioned previously that SHIRLEY'S 2 GIRLS will be having a monthly challenge on their blog.  It'll always be the first Tuesday of the month and it's called the 222 Challenge.  The challenge will center around themes, colors, or templates and will change each time.  AND, there are prizes too!  Two winners will be chosen to receive "ATTITUDE GRATITUDE" which is $22.00 in S2G credit to get yourself some MORE fun stuff from SHIRLEY'S 2 GIRLS!  The specific details for this month's challenge will be revealed TODAY at 2:00pm on the S2G challenge blog -->>CLICK HERE<<-- not sure whether that's east coast time or west coast time where the girls are located.  But check in and you'll have all of the info.  I'll be posting my card soon too so I'll include any other info that comes around.  Sounds fun, right?!  You betcha!  Need a little extra inspiration?  There's an S2G gallery blog too.  CLICK HERE to visit!