Sunflower Studio

BUNNY SIDE UP...{tcp sneaky peek - day 5}

Only a few more days of fabulous sneaky peeks and then all of the new stamps and dies will be ready for ordering at THE CAT'S PAJAMAS!  Today's set is called BUNNY SIDE UP.  (Aren't these names so funny?!)  Our big eared bunny has found his way into a giant Easter egg.  I'm using JEN DEL MURO'S JANUARY SKETCH FOR YOU TO TRY for my layout today.  I wanted to go bright and cheery so I pulled out the Snow Day Collection paper pad from Crate Paper.  I used Alma's new QUEEN OF HEARTS BORDER CUTUPS die to add some fancy cut and pierced borders to the central horizontal and some bright aqua ribbon from PTI for that color pop.  A Prima flower in Bunny's little paws finish it off.

Make sure that you check in at Splitcoast and leave a comment in the IN IT TO WIN IT THREAD in our forum for a chance to win today's "hoppy" set!

Bunny Side Up Clear Stamp Set

Queen of Hearts Border Cutups Die

InLinkz.com

PAPER SMOOCHES - CARDS FOR KIDS

I am crazy for the PAPER SMOOOCHES stamp images.  They just make me happy.  They're fun and quirky with plenty of room for coloring and I love that.  They're also perfect for kids and that's why I chose them for some important cards that I've worked on this week.

On the day before Easter the young (44), beautiful, and vibrant wife of my husband's cousin passed away after a two year battle with brain cancer.  To say that their family is devastated is an understatement.  On top of the injustice of such a short life is that fact that they have four children under the age of 13.  It's so very tragic an unfair.  They don't live nearby but we, of course, sent flowers and I wanted to make a card for each of the children plus their father and their grandmother who has also been dealing with the weight of this the whole time.  For the kids, I didn't want "down" cards.  I wanted "up" cards.  To give them a smile and let them know that we're thinking of them.  I hope that I'm doing the right thing.  I only have three of the six cards that I need to make but I wanted to share them with you.

I don't usually go for bright and colorful but this one's for a girl who would appreciate this silly flower from the PERKY PLANTS set.  The patterned papers are from the Echo Park Summer Days 6x6 pad. I also used JEN DEL MURO'S new Sketch For You To Try for May.  Remember that Jen does a new sketch each month and has a guest designer and prizes too.  You can check that all out by going to Jen's blog using the link above or in my sidebar.

This one is for the youngest of the boys.  My son is 10 but he has always loved our cat, Tom.  That's why when I'm coloring cat images there's almost always one that looks like Tom.  He's the "special" cat there on the right.  This image is from the CHUBBY CHUMS set and the "you're special" sentiment that I used on the inside of the card is from the SENTIMENT SAMPLER set.  The blue polka-dot, green brocade, and graph paper are in the new 8x8 5 & Dime pad from October Afternoon.  The mustard dotted paper is from Bo Bunny.

This one is for one of the older boys....slighly more serious but still colorful and fun.  The sentiment,  bird, squirrel, branches, and pine tufts (?) are from the new HANG UPS set.  The patterned papers are all in the Campfire 8x8 pad from October Afternoon. 

I actually decorated the inside of each card too but not as fancy as I'm seeing some of the girls do these days.  Do you know how much these cards weigh now?!  Thankfully, I'm going to put them each in their own envelope but then mail all in a padded package together.  I think the biggest reason that I don't end up mailing more of my cards is that those oh-so-fabulous buttons and bows really bulk 'em up.

Okay, off to get ready for the neighborhood Cinco de Mayo party.  It's a yearly thing and the day looks perfect for it.  I hope you're doing something fun today too!

 

ROCK PAPER SCISSORS {march sfytt}

Welcome to another great sketch from JEN for this month's SKETCH FOR YOU TO TRY!  This month the challenge is being sponsored by AMBER INK.  I've chosen a few different digital images to work with...all fun, of course! 

Remember "rock, paper, scissors"?  We used to play it all the time.  And then my little guy used to love to play it as well.  Not sure what the real appeal of it is: The unknown about what each person's answer will be?  Or is it that if you choose rock you get to smash those scissors?  It's still fun...and funny too!  I printed the ROCK PAPER SCISSORS images onto Kraft cardstock and colored them with Copics and a touch of white gel pen.  I printed the words on the computer too then gave them a little Copic shadow.  See that wood patterned paper?  That's another digitial image - CARVED WITH CARE - from Amber Ink.  I printed that onto White cardstock and then used a few different browns and a mustard marker in my Copic Airbrush to add the color.  Love how it turned out...very warm and woodsy!

The March guest designer is SHELLEY DUPONT.  You can check out her first card plus Jen's always amazing artwork and all of the information for this month's challenge, what you can win, and how to play along on JEN'S BLOG.  Stop by there to get the scoop.  Then, click over to each of the SFYTT team member's blogs to see how they interpreted this month's sketch.

Amber Hight
Amy Rohl
Amy Sheffer
Carole Burrage
Jodi Collins
Kelly Lunceford
Kerry Johnson
Megan Lock
Sony Christoph
Susan Liles

Papertrey February Blog Hop Challenge {february sfytt}

Happy Friday!  I'm working on killing a few birds with one stone with today's card.  Not sure if I've mentioned it before but I'm a really good purchaser of crafty stuff.  The problem is then using that stuff!  (I know you're with me, sisters!) 

I noticed as I went through the new blog posts that PTI was having their blog hop today and, since I just received my order with new February stuff, I thought I'd join in. In addition to that, I'm using the FEBRUARY SKETCH FOR YOU TO TRY one more time.  You still have a couple of days to get your card added at JEN'S BLOG.  Rememeber that she's got prizes, people. This is my fourth card for the month with the same sketch...see how versatile these things are?  And useful too!

The last part was the necessity for a Thank You card.  Course, I had to make a NEW card...not just one from my ever-growing pile!  Okay, with all of that said, I used PTI's BUTTON BOUTIQUE set.  I am in love with all things vintage right now too and this set fit the bill.  I had to have the dies that cut out the little button card and I've used those here.  The PTI challenge was to use scallops.  I incorporated those with the MFT DOILY DIE-NAMICS and with this vintage lace...somethin' a bit different!  I also used part of a pattern direction sheet for the background.  (That's from my new cache of vintage goodies - maps, patterns, ledger sheets, etc. - that came from my Grandpa's house...fun!) The patterned papers are Echo Park For The Record...more vintage-y goodness.  Oh, and a tiny Prima Flower added a pop of red at the bottom of the card.  The sentiment here is in the LOVE AT HOME set by ANNA WIGHT at WHIPPER SNAPPER.

SWIMMIN' BY TO SAY HI!

I'm heading off for a little getaway this weekend to visit fun friends in Texas so I thought I'd get one last post in.  This is another using JEN'S FEBRUARY SKETCH FOR YOU TRY.  Long story short, I'm way past due getting a few cards made for the great people at WHIPPER SNAPPER DESIGNS.  They kinda got lost in the middle of my cervical disc replacement issues last fall and I'm just now getting caught up. So, the images here are from the always delightful ANNA WIGHT.  The big fishy and sentiment are in the SWIMMIN' BY set and the small fishies are from the CAT'S LIFE set.  I adore these papers from the Seaside pack by October Afternoon...they're so lush and colorful!  And since I bought the 12x12 pack of that paper it also contained some sticker sheets.  That's where the anchor journaling circle came from...fun, right?!

There's still time to join in the fun by adding your version of the SFYTT for the month.  Visit JEN'S BLOG for more information.  This month's challenge is being sponsored by ANITA BE STAMPIN so be sure to check them out too!

 

BATTY IN LOVE

HA!  How fun is a bat for Valentine's.  I love it!  I got my new stamps yesterday from KIM HUGHES' new company, PAPER SMOOCHES.  Her images have always caught my eye.  They're wacky and wild and just slightly not normal and I LOVE THAT ABOUT THEM.  And, her handwriting font is just fabulous.  I'm excited for Kim and I'm excited that her images are available again.

For this card I used the kooky bat in the FALLING FOR YOU set.  Cracks me up!  And I thought he needed a tree to hang from - and, yes, he is supposed to be upside down! - so I dug into my old Kim Hughes sets from CHF and used the big branch from THE LANDING PAD set.  These images make me giggle to myself...hee hee.

I used various papers from October Afternoon and my standard Kraft cardstock base.  (I know, I have issues with that freakin' Kraft paper.  I PROMISE - my next card posted will NOT use Kraft.  It's a challenge to myself!)  The oval base layer was airbrushed with Copics using a scalloped circle punch to create the clouds.  This is one of my favorite easy little techniques.  (Maybe I should make a quick little video turorial if I could figure out how...hmmm.)  Anyway, sewing and piercing and scallops and a bit of embossed woodgrain and then some Divine Twine finish it all off.

Oh, and lastly, this card uses Jen's February Sketch For You To Try sketch...see how easy it is when you have a good layout to start with! 

LOVE YA BUNCHES {february sfytt}

Ready for a new SKETCH FOR YOU TO TRY?  JEN always has the best sketches!  How about giving this one a try...

Our sponsor this month is ANITA BE STAMPIN.  Anita has some really cute images on her site.  I chose this adorable little bear and his
big bouquet of flowers in the BEARS & BUNCHES set.  Isn't he so sweet?!  I paired him up with some BELOVED patterned papers from My Mind's Eye.  This a pretty simple card for me this time...look, no sewing.  I colored everything as usual with Copics and the airbrush for the edges of the oval.  I also tried a little technique that I saw BEATE use - dotting on the ground color.  Sort of looks like he's standing on a small pile of gravel.  That Beate, she's so smart!

So, don't forget that this is the sketch for the whole month and you've gotta link your card over on JEN'S BLOG.  I'm not sure that I posted the rules for this year's SFYTT so here goes:

1. The SKETCH FOR YOU TO TRY will be posted on the first Saturday of each month on www.iheart2stamp.com at 8am EST and will stay open to participants until the last day of the month, unless otherwise noted.
2. This is for fun! Interpret the sketch as you wish and embellish as desired. There are no vendor restrictions, but we would love to see you use the sponsor’s stamps!
3. Each month we will have a Designer of the Month that will be chosen from past month’s participants.
4. Come and play with us on each and every sketch! On Christmas Day 2011 a prize package worth over $200 will be given away to one very lucky and loyal SFYTT stamper that participates in EVERY sketch for the year.
5. To be eligible for the prize package, you must complete ALL of the sketches by each of the deadlines AND link your creation to the link system on that month’s sketch post (the first Saturday of the month). Everyone except for SFYTT Sisters are eligible for the prize package, including Designer of the Month and international players.
6. When posting your sketch creation on your blog, please post the sketch and link back to the sketch post on www.iheart2stamp.com. When posting to online galleries, please use the keyword “SFYTT.”
7. Check out the SFYTT Sister’s links just below to see more creations using this month’s sketch.

• Susan Liles
• Sonja Christoph
• Megan Lock
• Kerry Johnson
• Kelly Lunceford
• Jodi Collins
• Jen del Muro
• Carole Burrage
• Amy Sheffer
• Amy Rohl
• Amber Hight

plus this months Guest Designer, BECKY CARAFA.

TWEET HEARTS {tcp sneaky peek/january sfytt}

As promised, here's my second sneaky peak card for today.  This adorable little gal and her birdie are in the upcoming TWEET HEARTS set from THE CAT'S PAJAMAS.  I combined my peek with the January SKETCH FOR YOU TO TRY challenge.  Remember, we're all using the same sketch for the entire month AND our sponsor is the one and only, CAT'S PAJAMAS.  So, voila, a perfect fit!

I used four different patterned papers from the Cosmo Cricket Togetherness 6x6 pad.  I love the combination of colors and retro-ish patterns together.  I also added the INSIDE PINKING BORDER CUTUPS die into the mix on the right-hand edge of the red strip.  I'm really liking the tone-on-tone of the cream cardstock.  I tied it up with BEIGE LINEN THREAD and added a fluttery butterfly PTI die cut from an old bookpage.

Remember that there's a contest going on for SFYTT so definitely check in with JEN for those details.  AND, our sneaky peeks have a a few more days to go so please stop back by and see what the CAT PACK has in store for you.  ALMA has the daily peek list on her blog.

PRODUCT USED IN THIS PROJECT {click on the packaging graphic for more information}:

A WARM HELLO {January sfytt}

Happy New Year, Stamping People! I wish you all the best in the year to come...happiness, health, creativity, moolah, peace, friendship, family time....the works!  I'll be wishing and hoping for all of those things too.  Cheers to the year ahead...

AND, speaking of the year ahead, rememeber that I mentioned some changes for the SKETCH FOR YOU TO TRY team?  All of that starts right now with this first sketch of the year.  We'll all be featuring this same sketch twice this month.  And then each month to come a new sketch will be revealed and we'll all use it twice and so on.  That'll give you lots of time to join in and play along. 

Each month will have a sponsor as well as a guest designer.  This month the sponsor is my favorite, THE CAT'S PAJAMAS, and the guest designer is the fabulous KIM TEASDALE.  You'll also want to get in on the goodies, right?  JEN has ALL OF THE DETAILS on how you can win her prize package over on her blog so head there straight away after me.

Okay, as for my card, I used one of the sweetest new images from THE CAT'S PAJAMAS in the set called YOU SUIT ME.  This sketch was definitely a challenge for me.  I had chosen those papers and was definitely going with 'em but then I just couldn't bring myself to cover up the awesome plaid with the vertical piece.  To fix that I put the patterned paper strip beneath the horizontal layer and then added the ribbon to represent the "on top" part of the sketch.  I added ALMA's gorgeous ICING CUTUPS die cut to the edges of the horizontal piece as well.  That die is soooo dee-lish!

Okay, so that's me.  Be sure to check in with the other SFYTT gals today. We've got new and wonderful talent to share with you in the form of KERRY JOHNSON!  Here's the complete list (Carole and Sony are on vacation this week.):

Susan Liles
Amy Rohl
Amy Sheffer
Megan Lock
Amber Hight
Jodi Collins
Kelly Lunceford

Kerry Johnson

and Jen del Muro.

SNOW PRETTY {sfytt}

Hey there, Holiday Shoppers!  Hopefully you're well on your way to getting all of your decorating and shopping done and you're just ready to sit down and stamp today.  Sounds good to me!  {For me, though, it's the little boy's 10th birthday.  WOW...how did he get so old so quickly?!  And he's having three other litle boys come over and spend the night.  Hmmm...who's great idea was that?!}

There are some changes coming over the river and through the woods for JEN'S SKETCH FOR YOU TO TRY.  Stay tuned for more details on that.  In the meantime, the SFYTT challenge for this week is to go back into the archives and choose a favorite SFYTT sketch and make your card with that.  See...how fun, right?  It's all up to you.  Which sketch challenged you most?  Which one were you dying to try but didn't have the time?  Now's the time to pick one and go for it!

I chose the sketch from March 6th of this year.  An oldie but a goodie!  I'm still inking up new images from THE CAT'S PAJAMAS.  This little cutie is from the JINGLE BELLS set.  These images are just sooo sweet.  AND...the lines are a bit bolder and they ink up and stamp so cleanly.  I love it when that happens.  In addition to the new stamp, I used the new BIG SCALLOP CUTUPS die, also from THE CAT'S PAJAMAS.  I am so diggin' that big ole bracket shape.  It's perfect!

Oooh, I almost forgot to mention...I also used SONY'S TCP TUESDAY COLOR CHALLENGE on this card.  I think there's still time to join in and post your card using Aqua, Ice Blue, and Lavender.  Post your card link over at Alma's blog to be considered for next month's Swanky Stamper title! 

Why not join us this week?  Take some time for yourself and do some stamping today.  Need more inspiration?  Click in with the other SFYTT girls to see what they've chosen to create today...

Susan Liles
Amy Rohl
Amy Sheffer
Megan Lock
Amber Hight
Sony Christoph
Jodi Collins
Jenn Diercks
Kelly Lunceford
and Jen del Muro.