Sunflower Studio

BEING...{03}

I know...I know...I've been pretty bad on keeping up with the BEING posts.  It's a long story but REAL LIFE got in the way.  We've all been there, right?  Anyway, I was kinda cleaning up my crafting area today and unearthed this adorable UPTOWN GIRLS - VICTORIA & JULIETTE'S NIGHT OUT stamp from STAMPING BELLA that I bought when I was at Scrapfest last month.  I am completely in love with these beautiful illustrations.  And they're big images too so there's plenty of room for coloring and paper piecing!

So, I kinda got started on making a Halloween sorta card with the gals and ended up modeling this card after a recent one from one of my very favorite and most inspirational stampers.  This week, I decided on

PAULA WILLIAMSON

Paula's gorgeous Uptown Girls card can be found HERE.  I went with her rounded corner image panel and sentiment flag and I did my best to even come a teensy bit close to her coloring expertise! (I'm afraid that she's really untouchable though...except for Linda Heavens, her SB partner in crime...amazing!)

I used some Heidi Grace paper in my stash from 2006 for the background and some new Authentique Glowing patterns for the dresses.  The sentiment stamp is from Lockhart Company.  Buttons and Halloween Divine Twine and a bit of sparkly glitter finish it all off.

Thank you, Paula, for amazing and inspiring me daily!

LUCKY DAY KETTO {sfytt}

Thinking ahead about St. Paddy's Day?  Anything that will bring me closer to Spring is a good thing!  So here's a Spring-y card for this week's SKETCH FOR YOU TO TRY.  I couldn't pass up a couple of new KETTO images from STAMPING BELLA when I recently ordered the new Cosmo Cricket papers.  I've been eyeballing these little gals for a while.  They're very sweet and whimsical but with an edge.  I really like that!

This is MISSMATCH KETTO and she's wearin' the green in hopes of wishing someone a very lucky day.  The gingham paper is from the the new Cosmo Material Girl pack.  The darker green patterned paper is from a Memory Box holiday pack.  I added super-wide green striped ribbon from SU! (some of my very favorite!), a white paper flower, green silk shamrock, and a button center to jazz it up.  The little sentiment is from A Muse Artstamps.

This is your last week to enter JEN'S SFYTT CONTEST.  All you have to do is make a card using one of the February sketches and upload your card to the corresponding slideshow guestbook.  Really...Jen's got a fabulous prize package that you won't want to miss out on!  All of the details can be found on her blog.

Need more inspiration using the sketch?  Visit the other SFYTT girls today to see what they've come up with...I'm off to do that right now!

Amy Rohl
Amy Sheffer
Susan Liles
Kelly Lunceford

and Jen del Muro with her special guest designer for the month, Mona Pendleton.

YOU ROCK!

    This one might be a little out there but I like the overall finished product!  This is another card form one of my Yahoo groups.  On this one, you were to make a card using this fun rug from the Pottery Barn Teen catalog.  It's so cute.  One look at this rug and I knew that it would be the perfect inspiration for a card made with SU!s Time Well Spent set.  I went on the search for the set on my shelves and remembered that I gave it to my mom for Christmas.  Oh well...back to the stash...   
    I bought this new Stamping Bella image a few weeks ago.  She's called "All Punked Up With No Place To Go."  I couldn't resist.  So, basically, the color scheme is coming from the inspiration rug and the rest is just craziness.  I added lots of sparkle to her with a Sakura Stardust Glitter Pen and a few touches of Spica Glitter pen too.  I colored the image with various Prismacolor and Copic markers and then popped up her clothes and boots.  I was pretty much finished when I decided that she needed an "edge"...but I didn't want it too edgy so I stuck with SU!s silver cording wrapped around the image layer with a bow at the bottom.  The gorgeous patterned paper is by Imaginesce.  Oh, and I also masked the girl and over stamped A Muse's "You Rock" sentiment with Jumbo Java VersaMagic chalk ink.  I love it! 
    I'm only slightly late on this one so my partner should have this in her hands shortly!

THE CUTEST KNIGHT

   

    I have to profess that I think this is THE cutest stamp that I have seen in....FOREVER!  He's so adorable!!  He's a newer image from Stamping Bella.  I've been on a little stamp spending spree lately...(uh-oh...don't tell the DH!)...and I couldn't resist him. 
    I used the Faux Brick technique for the card base - information on that is in my last post.  And, to me, it just screamed 'castle walls'.  And the mirror idea came about and this is the result.  I think this is my best watercoloring to date.  I'm so trying to be able to keep up with the big girls...Anna Wight is the master, isn't she?  I was so proud of myself....I'm not sure I could give this away...although, I didn't really have a purpose for the card when I started other than making cards featuring this technique.
    Oooh...one other cool thing...the Bella stamps are unmounted.  In the past I've added the foam cling to them to use them with my acrylic blocks.  My friend, and stamping guru, Pat Huntoon, clued me in to using a glue stick on the back of the rubber UM stamp and using that to adhere it to the acrylic block.  Stamp your images.  Pull the stamp off and clean the stamp and block.  This little trick worked perfectly and I didn't have to trim around all of that sticky mounting foam.  Yippeee!
    Anyway, if you like this little guy, be sure and visit Stamping Bella...they have lots more images than just Bellas these days and they're so fun.  Have a great Sunday!

TECHNIQUE JUNKIE - COTM MAY - FAUX BRICK

It's time again to try a new technique!  For the subscribers to the Technique Junkie newsletter, it's time for another Card of the Month challenge.  The May Card of the Month challenge is the FAUX BRICK technique.  I love techniques that are simple but give your eye-catching results.  You can't go wrong with this one!

As for the details...each month we will be encouraging subscribers to try out a new technique and then to enter their creations in the Card Of The Month challenge.  Entries will be voted upon by the members of the group and three artists will be chosen to have their cards featured on the TJ Yahoo Group homepages.  It's fun...it's easy...and it encourages you to break out the supplies and get to work!  Subscribe now and give it a try.

BLOGGER'S CHALLENGE #26 - MOVEABLE CARDS

Blogger's Challenge #26 was moveable cards.  I haven't had a chance to check out what everyone in the group made but I have seen a few.  There are soooo many ways to add movement to your cards!  The ones that I have seen from week 26 were really cool with pop ups and other interesting moveable parts among them.

    I went for the plain 'ole standard shaker card.  It does end up looking like Cosmobella is on the inside of the card but the top most layer is actually raised on the front of the card.  I normally don't do too much re-do when creating my cards but this one took three tries!  I hate when that happens.  Anyway, there are a few 'olives' and some tiny glass marbles rolling around inside the frame with Bella.  And I think that this 'banner' type idea came from something that Julie Ebersole made.  It's been so long that I don't remember where I saw it but I obviously liked it!  I painted this chickie's polka-dot pants with Twinkling H2Os and her top and belt are all sparkly Stickles.

Supplies:  Stamps - Cosmobella from Stamping Bella, sentiment from Savvy; CS - Basic Black, Real Red, Old Olive, White; Ink - Black Versafine and various for watercoloring; Other - Cuttlebug embossing folder, black brads, red craft seam binding from Martha Stewart, Twinkling H2Os, waterbrush, Black and Silver Stickles, acetate, clear marbles, circle hole punch.

ANOTHER BELLA BIRTHDAY

Here's another girlie birthday card and this is another Stamping Bella image (one that I don't personally own) from the swap (see this post for more info) that I was in.  Each time I use one of these I'm thinking that I'm just gonna have to break down and get all of these so-fun images!  They're definitely addicting.  This card is 5"x5".

Supplies:  Stamps - Girls at the Table (I couldn't find the real name) by Stamping Bella and 'sweet friend' sentiment from A Muse; CS - Baroque Burgundy (ret.), So Saffron, Always Artichoke, Regal Rose, and white from SU!; Ink - Black Versafine and various for watercoloring; Other - Twinkling H2Os, waterbrush, KI Memories ribbon, brads and buckle from Copper Hodgepodge Hardware kit by SU!, white Signo Gel Pen, fine black pen, scalloped scissors, patterned paper by Basic Grey - Stella Ruby collection.

BELLA BIRTHDAYS

I needed a few girlie birthday cards this week and decided to work with some Stamping Bella stamps.  I participated in a card swap back at the beginning of the year hosted by Christie Ortman.  Not only did I receive some really great cards but one of the requirements for the swap was to include a plain stamped image with each card.  And, everyone had to choose a different Bella so there were no doubles.  The girls that I chose for my b-day cards today didn't even turn out to be images that I personally have.  (I'm gonna have to get them though! - How could I resist?!)  Happy Birthday, Girls!

Cakeabella Supplies:  Stamps - Cakeabella by Stamping Bella, sentiment by A Muse; CS - Always Artichoke, River Rock, Pink Passion, white, patterned paper from Amy Butler Pad by K&Company; Ink - Black Versafine, various for watercoloring; Other - River Rock stitched ribbon by SU!, copper Hodgepodge Hardware brads from SU!, paper piercing tool, scalloped scissors, Crystal Effects on cake, waterbrush, Ticket Corner punch by SU!  (note - the little flag sentiment idea came from this card on the A Muse News blog by Jennifer Pebbles.)

Parisbella Supplies:  Stamps - Parisbella by Stamping Bella, sentiment by A Muse; CS - Soft Sky, Certainley Celery, white, textured brown by DCWV, patterned paper by Amy Butler for K&Company; Ink - Black Versafine, Dk. Brown Fluid Chalk ink by Colorbox, various for watercoloring; Other - Brown craft seam binding ribbon from Martha Stewart at Michael's, brads, paper piercing tool, scalloped scissors, Ticket Corner punch by SU!, waterbrush.  (note - the little flag sentiment idea came from this card on the A Muse News blog by Jennifer Pebbles.)