Sunflower Studio

SUINK - IT'S A SALE!

Hey Gang...SUINK is having a sale on storage units!  Don't miss out!  You can click on the letter below to view it in a larger window .

I'LL ADMIT IT...I'M AN ADAM FAN!

Taking a teensy break from my regular programming around here...I just have to share something....

Have you been watching AMERICAN IDOL?  We're glued to the the TV on Tuesday and Wednesday nights here at our house.  I'm gonna risk it all and predict the winner now! I have to begin by saying that at this point - with four contestants remaining - they are ALL amazingly talented.  I've been watching AI since it all started eight years ago and this has been the best season yet and the artists have all been top notch.  But it's ADAM LAMBERT that really stands out for me.  I can't help thinking that he just has the "IT FACTOR".  He's "IT"...he's for real, he's over the top, he's beyond creative, he's always new, exciting, and just jaw-droppingly awesome.  I have to compare him to the first time that I saw Ricky Martin. 

In my working life I worked at Sony Music Distribution for about 12 years.  Almost every year we'd have a convention to learn about past, present, and future music business and to get all revved up about new artists.  Ricky Martin was sprung on us unexpectedly at one of these conventions.  He had already been on General Hospital - didn't watch it - and was a star in other parts of the world - who knew?!  He made the hair on my arms stand up and I got chills.  And it wasn't just the looks either - although that never hurts!  He just had it all...he had "IT".  Star quality radiated out of him.  I think the same can be said for Adam.  I really do hope that he walks away with the title here. 

Last night's show was a big 'ole eye opener for Adam's fans with him landing in next to last in the voting!  If you're an AI fan, you'll know that this happens every year....everyone thinks that the front runner is safe and stops making those voting calls.  YOU'VE GOTTA CALL!  (I've actually been voting for Adam, Kris, Danny, and Anoop when he was still on.)

Like anything else in life, everyone's got their opinion and this guy has polarized AI fans, I think.  IMHO, ADAM IS THE AMERICAN IDOL!!  Okay...off the soap box now...back to your regularly scheduled stamping chit and chat...

SUINKWWC38 - Flowers, Flowers, Flowers!

The card challenge this week at STORAGE UNITS, INK & MORE! is to make a card that features FLOWERS!  That's an easy one since it's Spring and all.  More than just regular flowers sprouting up everywhere, I'm in love with the Pink Dogwood trees that are all over the place here in MD right now.  They're gorgeous and their pink flowers really stand out next to the green of everything else budding right now.  Just fabulous!

Ooopsie..back to the card.  I combined this SUINK challenge with this week's sketch challenge #226 at Splitcoast.  It's a good one and a great way to really use some of your patterned paper stash.  My card features the cute little boy from the SUINK BOYS 'N BUGS set and the sentiment is included in the new THINKING OF MOTHER set.  This'll probably be the card that I get this year...ha...made by me!  All of the fun paper is from the Blossoms & Butterflies Stack pad by DCWV.  The large flower is by Doodlebug and the smaller one is a Prima.  Some Stamping Bella Baubles finish it off.

Make sure that you use keyword SUINKWWC38 when you're uploading your flower card to SCS or PCP this week so that we can find your flowery creation.

TCP TUESDAY #56 - Inspiration Challenge

Ready for an inspiration challenge?  This week's TCP Tuesday challenge is to use this photo for inspiration.  These are so fun as everyone ends up with something completely different.  What part of the photo will inspire you?  The colors?  The shapes?  The images on the cups?  And aren't these cups so springy too!  Toni picked these from the MoMA online catalog...love 'em.

So, think about the photo and decide what inspires you...grab your Cat's Pajamas stamps and get to work.  Toni is the Hipster Hostess with the Mostess this time so you'll need to post a link to your card >>HERE<< on her blog.  Please use keyword TCPTUES56 if you're uploading to SCS or PCP. 

I almost forgot...I tried to work in the CPS sketch this week too.  They're on week number 113.

Supplies:  Stamps - Arrgh! Piratey Clearly Swanky Stamp Set (S-7545); Paper - Papertrey White, Blue and Vellum CS, SU! Confettin Tan (ret.); Ink - Onyx Black Versafine, Tuxedo Black Mememento ink, Ranger Walnut Distress ink; Other - Copic Markers and Multiliner, Dew Drops, Papertrey Grosgrain Ribbon, SU! Label Die, Ranger sponge ink applicator.

SUPER LITTLE BOY!

I was doing a little "blurfing" yesterday and came across Mary Jo Price-Williams' weekly Monday Lunchtime Sketch Challenge.  The sketch (TSSC67) really appealed to me and the combination of some new My Favorite Things stamps and cool "building" patterned paper from American Crafts immediately came to mind.  So, here it is...

 Isn't he just adorable?!  My Super Little Boy (hence the "LB" on his supersuit) is part of the Ben Paper Dolls set.  He's got a few cute little suits to wear in the set.  And since I have a boy, this was a perfect fit for me.  Hmmm...wonder if they'll make more suits to fit him?  An actual SUIT would be perfect...especially since I was supposed to be working on some First Communion announcement type of things this week. 

I actually purchased the fun patterned paper with mucho builidings on it with this set in mind.  The cloud paper is also from American Crafts.  I used one of my brand spankin' new Nestabilities dies - the inverted scalloped circle to back the cloud layer.  All sort of SUPERMANish, right?  Cool!  I can just hear the superhero music in my head.

Oh, and since the set includes a cute little super doggie too, I decided to finish the inside of the card.  I added the "U.R. Super!" sentiment using the Brayton alphabet and a JustRite Stamper handle.  Up, up, and away!!!

WHACHADOIN' WEDNESDAY CHALLENGE #37

Squeezing a little something in tonight for the WHACHADOIN' WEDNESDAY CHALLENGE with STORAGE UNITS, INK & MORE!  This week's challenge was to create two cards using the theme "Same But Different".  So, you could use same colors, same layout, same stamps, same theme...lots of possibilities.

I chose to create two cards with sort of an EARTH DAY theme.  I printed the digital image of earth from SHABBY MISS JENN DESIGNS (mentioned in my previous post today) on cardstock for both cards.  Here are the deets for each...

YOU MEAN THE WORLD TO ME

This was the first thing that came to mind when I sat down with my box of SUINK stamps.  Save the Animals!  The WELCOME TO THE ZOO set is a new release for April and these animals are soooo cute.  The sentiment that just sums it all up is actually from A Muse.  I printed the earth image and cut it out and then layered it to die cuts created with the brand new Inverted Scalloped Circle Nestabilities dies.  Makes my little Earth glow, right?  I used one of the Nestabilities Labels dies to cut the black shape layer and ran that piece through the Cuttlebug in the Swiss Dot Embossing folder for the starry sky.  See how great the Coredinations cardstock is when you emboss and sand?  It really reveals that inner core color!  Not sure where the excellent green/blue gingham ribbon came from but I love it.  I finished it all off with a big ole button from Creative Imaginations. 

IT'S A SMALL WORLD AFTER ALL

For my second card using the theme, I had it in my mind to use various SUINK kid images around the little earth.  I realized that they were a bit too big and my card would be huge.  Changing the plan a bit...I decided to create my own patterned paper using the Earth image for the perfect background.  I dug through lots of sets for the images...here's where you can find them:
FARMER BOY - LEAF IT TO ME set
CHEF GIRL - KISS THE COOK set
DOGGIE - BOYS 'N' BUGS set
LUMBERJACK BOY - ROUGHIN' IT set
CUTE SUIT GIRL - VOTE FOR ME set
CHEERLEADER - FIRST & GOAL set
The sentiment was printed on the computer.

The other SUINK design team gals have come up with their own twist on the challenge.  Click over to the SUINK blog and check them out.  Why don't you grab your stamps - preferably SUINK images since it's their challenge - and see what comes to mind.  Please use keyword SUINKWWC37 when uploading to Splitcoast.

HAPPY EARTH DAY!

Did ya know it's EARTH DAY?  I do have to admit that I must be living under a rock and didn't realize that it was actually today.  That is, until they handed me a free reusable shopping bag at Marshall's this morning and said, "Happy Earth Day.  Here's a free bag!"  (Now I felt guilted into buying something...oh well!)  Alllll-righty then...

And, what should show up in my email today but a notice about this fun little freebie from SHABBY MISS JENN DESIGNS.  If you're not familiar, that's a digital scrapbooking store that I frequent.  Lots of fabulously creative stuff to use digitally or print out and use for hybrid card or scrapbook making.  So cool and oh-so-very-clever stuff!  You can download the freebie by going HERE.

CPS SKETCH 112

I decided to give the CPS sketch a try this week.  They're on week number 112.  Wow!  That's a lotta sketches.  It's fun to see what everyone does with a sketch and how different it can be interpreted by different minds. 

I had some new stamps that came in over the last few weeks and they were just dying to be inked up.  Have you seen the STAMPENDOUS robots?  These are really "must have" in my book...they're "outta this world" cute!  There are two sets that have robot parts and I used both of those here on my card - Spot's Botz and Hot Botz.  Then, there's a set of sentiments - Botz Quotz, and a set with sentiments and rocket/space ships - Hot Rockets.  And if you're getting all of that, you might as well just get the Changito In Space set too.  Now you have it all!  I'm all about enabling....

I stamped various robot heads - including the little robot dog head - for my diagonal strip.  This fun paper is from the Cogsmo collection by Cosmo Cricket.  I'm diggin' the bright colors.  I found these screw head eyelet thingies in my stash and added them for some "robot parts" feel.  The big ole button is by Creative Imaginations.

TCP TUESDAY #55 - SKETCH CHALLENGE

Happy Tuesday!  Hopefully you're all enjoying a fabulously sunny day...that's what we have in Maryland.  And we deserved it too....it was a complete washout yesterday and looks like it's heading that way for tomorrow too. 

It's sketch time again for the TCP challenge.  Carole Burrage - your new sketch challenge Hipster Hostess with the Mostess - has come up with a fun sketch for all of us to try.  The amazing day had me reaching for the golf stamps.  I think Poochie is channeling Payne Stewart today.  Gotta love that plaid or argyle, right?  I used these Cat's Pajamas stamps:  Golfer (F-7419) and Hole in One (C-7447).  I drew in the rolling hills with my Copic Multiliner - looks like somewhere in Ireland, me thinks.  This argyle and striped paper is actually all from one sheet of Cosmo Cricket's Lil Man - Dapper Dan patterned paper - no cutting between the patterns.  Worked perfectly for the sketch.  I colored everything with the Copics and added a pinked circle frame via my Nestabilities dies.  Some Martha Stewart dark orange seam binding ribbon, small paper circles and brads, and a tiny tag (Cuttlebug) pinned on the knot finish it off.  I stamped "FORE!" using the JustRite Brayton alphabet.  (I know I have a "fore!" stamp somewhere but couldn't find it...isn't that always the way!)

Anyway, I hope you'll be playing along this week.  Make sure that you use keyword TCPTUES55 if you're uploading to Splitcoast or PCP.  You should post the link to your card --->>HERE<<--- on Carole's blog.

TCP TUESDAY #54 - STAMP CHALLENGE

Okay....back from a lovely week in St. Petersburg, FL and slowly but surely getting back to my schedule.  I do have to say, the weather here in Maryland is not nearly as nice...what a bummer.  Today, at least, it's sunny and I gotta love that!  Hope it's sunny where you are too.

This week's TCP Tuesday challenge was to use any stamp from the HAVIN' A POW WOW Clearly Swanky stamp set (S-7511) from THE CAT'S PAJAMAS.  So there's lots to choose from.  I had to grab my favorite cowboy - AGAIN - of course.  Here's Ronnie to the rescue!!!  There's a pileup on the prairie...oh dear!

SUSAN LILES is going to be the monthly hostess for the stamp challenge so you'll need to link your card HERE on her blog.  Don't forget to use keyword TCPTUES54 is you're uploading to Splitcoast or PCP.  You'll be in the running for SWANKY STAMPER of the month and that means goodies for you.  GRAB THOSE STAMPS AND GET GOIN', LIL' DOGGIE!

Supplies:  Stamps - Havin' A Pow Wow set and Chuck Wagon (D-7518) from The Cat's Pajamas, Boynton Alphabet and JustRite Stamper for sentiment; Paper - olive textured and Black by SU!, Papertrey White, striped patterned paper by American Crafts, Caution tape patterned paper by Reminisce; Ink - Tuxedo Black Memento ink, Onyx Black Versafine; Other - Copic Markers and Multiliner, scalloped and classic oval Nestabilities dies, Creative Imaginations buttons, hemp twine by SU!