Sunflower Studio

SUINK - JOIN US FOR THE NEW RELEASE BLOG HOP

Wednesday, July 1st the design team for STORAGE UNITS, INK & MORE! will be hoppin'!  Please check back here in the morning for the line up and new release samples!

 

SUINK - BIG BIRTHDAY BASH GIVEAWAY

 

HAPPY BIRD-DAY!

This week's challenge with STORAGE UNITS, INK & MORE! is to create a card with a unique shape.   For whatever reason, this tree idea came to mind right away.  And...while it's not really a "shaped" card per se, I'm goin' with it anyway.

I hand cut the tree and branch shape from the front portion of the folded card.  Then, I stamped a tree bark patterned stamp by All Night Media using FRENCH ROAST ink by SUINK to create the tree.  I used an oval punch to create the hole for the little pink owl to hoot through.

Speaking of the owls...I think these are just adorable.  They're included in another brand new set from SUINK called YOU'RE A HOOT.  They're just hanging out in the forest enjoying a "happy bird-day".  On a side note, we hung some new bird feeders in the back yard on Sunday and wouldn't you know that between the Blue Jay and the darn squirrels ALL of the seed is already gone.  I think they've been having a "happy BIRD-day" too!!  My patterned paper is by Bella Blvd. and it's called Family Tree.  I used some more new SUINK buttons and some SU! twine and Papertrey ribbon to finish it off.

You can get more details on this week's SUINK Whatchadoin' Wednesday challenge on the SUINK blog.  You'll want to be checking in over there frequently in the following weeks.  They're celebrating their one year anniversary and there's some big, awesome giveaways and such that'll be coming your way!

A PIRATE'S LIFE FOR ME

Ahoy there, Matey!  I couldn't possibly resist some cute little pirates.  This card works for last week's challenge at STORAGE UNITS, INK & MORE!  The challenge was to use Black and Blue so these scallywags are all suited up and ready to pillage and plunder...or something like that!

The pirate set is called SHIVER ME TIMBERS and it's brand new this month at SUINK.  I also used some of this nifty WHITEWASH CARDSTOCK by COREDINATIONS, also from SUINK, and some of their fancy new buttons too.  Have you tried the Whitewash cardstock yet?  One side is smooth and a solid color.  The other side is textured and looks like it's been "painted over" with white.  It's perfect for tearing and sanding like I did here for my sea and waves.  Very cool...I like it!  I tore and inked some SU! Kraft cardstock for the sandy beach as well.  My scene took up a lot of space too...this card is about 4 inches wide and almost 10 inches tall!  That would require one big ole envelope to mail!

TCP TUESDAY #64 - INSPIRATION CHALLENGE

Hey there...we're back to Tuesday again and it's challenge time with THE CAT'S PAJAMAS design team.  Come on!  You know you wanna play along and, hey, you can win $25 in Cat's Cash if you're chosen as the Swanky Stamper for the month.  Just do it!

Toni is the Hipster Hostess with the Mostess this time and she's challenged us with this photo of some cool refreshing beverages....YUM!  So, what about this will inspire you?  The colors, the drinks, the shapes....does it inspire you to go and find a margarita?  Well that's a whole 'nother thing, isn't it?!

Sprinkle (from the It's a Mod, Mod World set - W-7512CL) is having a little shindig with the rest of the cats.  You know, sun's goin' down...just the right time for a little drinkie-poo.  They're all thinking that same thing!  The drink photo actually encouraged me to dig deep into my paper stash for this patterned paper by Out There Scrapbooking called Fruit Garnish Black and that inspired my color scheme.  Along with Sprinkle, I used the little Think Drink (B-7474) stamp and the Cheers (C-7445) sentiment to complete the card.  I needed a bunch of same color buttons and all of these are by Creative Imaginations.

So, go grab your TCP stamps - or your stamps of choice - and let's see what you create.  Please use keyword TCPTUES64 if you're posting to Splitcoast or PCP.  Don't forget to add a comment post HERE on Toni's blog with the link to your card so you can be included in the Monday Slideshow on Alma's blog too.

2 SKETCHES 4 YOU - STARVING ARTISTSTAMPS

STARVING ARTISTSTAMPS is sponsoring a sketch this week on the 2 SKETCHES 4 YOU blog.  Be sure to click over there and participate!

My card features a little owl - ummm, pink! - well, because I can! - from the DOODLEFACTORY ANIMALS sheet.  His name is Ezner.  He had to match the paper, didn't he?  And to tell you the truth, I didn't notice that he was a "he" until just now....oh dear!  I puffed him up just a bit with some pink FLOWERSOFT.  It's my first try with it...from my "had to have it all" pile in the craft room.  It's fun!

I got in my shipment of new In-Color papers from Stampin' Up! this week so I decided to use those - I squeezed in four of the six new colors - Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry, Dusty Durango, and Soft Suede.  The colors actually coordinated perfectly with some really nice patterned papers by Crate Paper in their Lillian Collection.  The polka dotted ribbon is also new from SU!  The button on the sentiment is from Papertrey and the other three accent buttons are from Storage Units, Ink & More!

Hope you decide to play along!

STARVING ARTISTSTAMPS will also be featuring some brand spaking new stamps with a blog hop on July 8th.  Click on the graphic below for more details!

VIRGINIA BEACH VACATION

Last week the little boy and I took a trip down to Virginia Beach to visit my sister.  I hadn't been down there in years and years and a lot has changed.  There's so much to see and do...I'd definitely recommend it!

We visited the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center and saw an IMAX movie.  You gotta love those movies and this one was in  3D so it was like those whales were coming right outta the screen on top of you.  WOW!  I'm all about the IMAX movies - I mean, we grew up seeing "To Fly" at the Air & Space Museum in DC whenever we wanted to but 3D is a whole 'nother thing.  I took some goofy pictures of us that I'll share here.

We also took a little drive up to the Norfolk Naval Base and were lucky enough to see some aircraft carriers up close.  I don't know why but I'm completely enthralled with them.  They're just humongous, floating contraptions and they carry planes...again, WOW!  This one is the brand new, not-even-finished-yet USS George H. W. Bush.  I remember seeing the dedication ceremony a while back on TV so it was cool to see it up close.  My sister also lives close to the Naval base called Oceana.  So jets are constantly cruising over her condo.  I thought it was awesome but I'm sure the noise can get old if you hear it all the time.  Although, they were selling stickers at 7-11 that said, "I Love Jet Noise"...how funny is that!?

BUNCO!

We started started a BUNCO group in our neighborhood this year and we've been having a ton of fun.  And while the game IS fun it's really the "hanging out with the ladies" part that really makes it all worth while.  This month is was my turn to host and I went a little crazy with the pink and black color scheme.  (I am actually playing with some other gals here but I cropped them out since I didn't know if they'd want their photos broadcast to the entire world.)  If you get a chance to play in your area, you really should.  We have a blast!  AND....there are prizes too! 

In our group, everyone contributes a small amount of money that goes to hostess of the following month so that she can buy prizes.  (Some groups just play for money and that's cool too.)  I decided to make up some more of my reusable grocery bags.  I've gotten a little neurotic about making them.  Anyone else jump into a craft with both feet and buy enough stuff to make a ton of whatever it is and then, most likely, don't ever really use all of the supplies?  Come on!  I know that YOU know what I'm talkin' about out there!

HI SQUIRREL & I'M A HAPPY CAMPER

I had a little burst of stamping creativity this week, thankfully.  I've been in a little bit of a stamping slump lately.  Most of that is due to the fact that the weather has been wonderful.  When it's so nice outside I can hardly keep myself sitting at the work table....gotta get out!  Plus, I was working on those shopping bags and really getting into doing some sewing instead of stamping.  Now I'm off to visit my one and only sister in Virginia Beach so no stamping for the next few days either.  Anyway, enough chit chat....

This idea for creating a word with the little log in the HAPPY CAMPER set from THE CAT'S PAJAMAS had been bouncing around in my brain for a little while.  I colored a bunch of logs and cut them out.  I then decided that I should make a background.  That's where the scene on the second card came from.  See, once I put my logs on top of the scene I knew that that just wouldn't work.  Thus...two cards were born!

I'm still working on my "scrappy" style.  I really admire both cards and scrapbook pages that have that sort of "thrown together" look....things randomly added, ya know?  We all know that they're not really randomly added but they have a fun and frivolous air to them.  That's what I was going for here with Miss Squirrel sitting on the log when I added the scalloped piece, the ribbon banner, and the buttons to the bottom.  Unfortunately, I just couldn't bring myself to glue these things down all wonky.  It all ended up, uh, "randomly straight"....as usual!  ha

And then, here's that background...it's nighttime in the forest.  This reminds me of the saying "big sky country".  I stamped my trees and clouds, also from the HAPPY CAMPER set, and then colored the ground and trees.  I then used the Copic airbrush to spray various marker colors over top of the stamped images to create the sky.  I used the Colorless Blender to "lift off" the sprayed color and bring my clouds back to white.  I stamped, colored, and cut out the little wagon and camper and added them to the bottom corner to set the scene. 

Don't forget that Alma's just added some new accoutrements to her site - Great Outdoors ribbons and buttons.  They finished off my cards perfectly since they're coordinated to match these fun stamp sets and the Cosmo Cricket Mr. Campy patterned papers that I used here.

TCP TUESDAY #63 - Sketch Challenge

It's sketch challenge time again for TCP Tuesday.  Love me some sketches!!  It's actually Carole's week and she came up with the sketch.  BUT, she's having some computer issues so Jen will be standing in as this week's Hipster Hostess with the Mostess.

I'm still using the new CAT'S PAJAMAS set,  HAPPY CAMPER.  I'm crazy about it!  I also used Alma's new alphabet set, NIGHTIE, for my background that says "STINKY" over and over again.  Gotta love a good alphabet set and a clear alphabet is even better.  I just lined up my individual letter stamps on one block and stamped it up...can't do that with a wood mounted alphabet, ya know.  I did a little creative altering of my ribbon and used a Copic marker to color every other line mustard so that it went with my color scheme.  Another most excellent use for those markers!  My big buttons are from Creative Imaginations.  And in the center of it all is Mr. Stinky...my card would be nothing without him!

Here are the details for the challenge from Jen's blog since I haven't posted them in a bit:

So, wanna play along with the TCP Tuesday challenge?…EVERYONE can! Here’s what you are gonna want to know…
1. Each a week one of the The Cat’s Pajamas DT Members will host a challenge.
2. The challenges will vary {stamp, color, theme/inspiration, sketch, etc.}
3. You will have until {this} Saturday night to complete the challenge.
4. Link your project on this week’s hostess’ challenge announcement. This week you will link your project on THIS post on Jen's blog.
5. TCP stamps are not required, but of course, highly encouraged. Unless it is a challenge calling for a specific stamp
6. There will be one winner each month. They will be deemed that month’s Swankiest Stamper and get $25 in Cat’s Cash {money to spend on the TCP site!}.
7. When uploading to SCS, please use the keyword TCPTUES63 for this challenge.
8. Alma will post the entries from the week the following Monday on her blog.
9. The newly crowned Swanky Stamper will be announced on the first of the month and have his/her winning entry posted on The Cat’s Pajamas website where he/she will reign for the entire month.
10. Oh yea…HAVE FUN!