A Hoppy Hello

It's Tuesday and that means it's time for a new cue word over at CASology!  As we're getting plastered with yet another round of heavy snow, I'm sitting inside thinking about spring!  Thank goodness this week's cue word is spring themed!

I've seen a few more birds around the yard, but nothing other than a few tracks in the snow when it comes to bunnies!  I'm sure once the weather begins to warm up, we'll see baby bunnies quite frequently!

For my card, I kept it very clean and very simple!  Lots of white space was on my mind...probably due to the amount of white I'm seeing in the landscape again?  A little pop of pink, a punny sentiment, a corner rounder and I was done!

I hope you'll take some time to visit the blogs of the design team and our guest designer this week as they have created some fun inspiration!

Tracey McNeely

Rosemary Dennis

Meghan McMillan

Maureen Merritt

Judy Marino

 

Jen Wills

Ardyth Percy-Robb

   

Guest Designer:  Jenny

Don't forget to link up your own BUNNY creation on the CASology challenge blog by Sunday at 4 p.m. (CST) for your chance to win some great prizes from this week's sponsor, Cindy Coutts Designs!

 

I'm hoping to spend a little time in the craft room today since the weather isn't exactly encouraging me to go outdoors for very long.  My workout will probably consist of snow shoveling!

Have a terrific Tuesday!

Can't Help Myself!

More snowflakes have been drifting steadily out of the sky today and I had to run into my craft room for some therapy!  Spring, where are you?!!

I frantically dug out as many flower stamps as I could find and settled on one from SU!'s Betsy's Blossoms set.  It had been neglected for much too long, so I inked it up in some Concord Crush ink (SU).

I CASE'd this card over on Splitcoast Stampers by Ceal (a.k.a. simplybeautiful), for this week's featured stamper on the Clean & Simple challenge.  I was immediately drawn to the big, bold flower on her card and took it from there!

Only one more day until March 1st arrives.  I'm ready for green grass and beautiful blooms.  I'd even be willing to mow the lawn, if given the chance right now!  Yes, winter has lost it's glory for me at this point in the season.  I don't mean to sound all gloomy about snow, but aren't bright, colorful blooms and barefoot days a rather exciting thought?!

I hope you've had a wonderful Wednesday!

Spring Rain

Spring is really beginning to show itself even though the temperatures have dropped back down toward freezing.  I'm crossing my fingers that the beauty that is emerging around us won't get bitten by Jack Frost before steady warmth arrives!

This month over at The Crafter's Cafe Challenge Blog, we're to make spring cards using pastel colors.  Our sponsor this month is Meljen's Designs, an online shop with a ton of adorable, heart warming images!  The prize this month is four (non-colored) digital images from the store!

For my card this week, I chose to use this little umbrella, called Heart Strings Parasol.

I used some decorative paper from my retired Stampin Up! stash and some coordinating cardstock.  The cloud is actually the top of the cupcake from the Stampin Up! cupcake punch!  (I love it when things can be used for more than what they were originally intended!)  The little pink dots are tiny pink gemstones, but the photo doesn't show them very clearly, unfortunately.

**I am also entering this card in the I {Heart} 2 Stamp April Sketch challenge.

Butterfly Tree

(Note:  Be sure and scroll down as there are two posts for today!)

A mild, warm week ahead and I'm envisioning parks and lots of outdoor activities!  Is it really March?!  S-M-I-L-E!

It's Prickley Pear Monday!  I used the new Butterfly Tree to create today's card.  I stamped the tree in Whisper White ink and then stamped just a few of the butterflies in Real Red ink.  I then cut out one of the red butterflies and adhered it to the tree using a foam dot.  I also added a few gemstones for a little extra sparkle and interest.

Supplies:
Stamps - Prickley Pear (Butterfly Tree)
Paper - Paper Trey white cardstock, SU cardstocks (Real Red, Basic Black)
Ink - SU (Whisper White, Real Red)
Accessories - gemstones, SU taffeta ribbon (Real Red), foam dot (popped up white butterfly)

Challenge and a Freebie!

Today is the beginning of challenges over on the new 2 Cute Ink Design Team blog.  Every other Monday, a new challenge will be posted.  To get things started, Heidi (2 Cute Ink's owner) is offering a free digital image, so head on over and check out the details!

The first challenge is an Easter/Spring theme.  I used the freebie to create a spring card.

 Supplies:
Stamps - 2 Cute Ink (digital), SU (sentiment)
Paper - SU cardstocks (Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Bashful Blue), Paper Trey Kraft cardstock, Copic Blending Card
Ink - SU (Real Red, Basic Black)
Accessories - red gemstones, Nestabilities (oval, scalloped oval), Cuttlebug embossing folder
Coloring - Copic markers

Gold

Today is the beginning of a new challenge over at The Stamping Boutique!  This time, we're to use gold on our cards!  Being in a CAS (Clean & Simple) kind of mindset lately, I created this simple spring card, using gold cord and, of course, the color yellow (a.k.a. gold).  Now I'm just waiting for the real daffodils and tulips to bloom!

Supplies:
Stamps - The Stamping Boutique (Daffodil), SU (sentiment)
Paper - Copic Blending Card, SU cardstock (Basic Black, Daffodil Delight)
Ink - SU (Basic Black)
Accessories - yellow gemstone, gold cord, SU scallop border punch
Coloring - Copic markers

Little Lamb

It's Prickley Pear Monday and my spring fever continues!

This week is supposed to be beautifully mild, once again, and I couldn't be happier about it!  Bring it on!

For today's card, I used a sweet little lamb in an oval scene for a sweet and simple card.  Love textured white cardstock for this kind of creation!  It adds some much needed texture.  I used a small oval Nestabilities die as a frame for creating the sponged background.

Supplies:
Stamps - Prickley Pear (Lamb, The Four Seasons Clear Stamp Set - sentiment)
Paper - Bazzill textured white cardstock
Ink - SU (Basic Black, Bashful Blue)
Accessories - Nestabilities (oval), SU markers (Lucky Limeade, Real Red), corner rounder, foam dot (popped up the little lamb)

Yellow

We had a rainy night last night.  I had to smile, realizing with happiness that spring is almost here!  I like listening to a gentle rain.  My boys don't particularly care for the thunder and lightning that accompany it now and then, but they seemed to sleep through it last night.

I've got CAS (Clean & Simple) card ideas running through my head these days.  Seems like I get on a CAS kick and have so much fun!  I hope this lasts for a while!


Spring colors are also beginning to pop into my head as I'm brainstorming for color combos.  For this card, I combined a bright, cheery yellow and a deep purple.  Love yellow this time of year!  In another month or so, things around here are going to start coming alive with color!  I'm so excited!

Supplies:
Stamps - SU (Button Buddies, Just Believe)
Paper - SU (Daffodil Delight)
Ink - SU (Daffodil Delight, Elegant Eggplant)
Accessories - corner rounder, foam dot (popped up middle flower)

Beautiful

I've got a fresh cup of coffee in hand and I'm ready to start this new week!  Are you?

I had a fairly relaxing weekend and even got a couple more cards made for upcoming posts, so stay tuned!

Today's card features some images from Prickley Pear's new clear stamp set called Mini Butterflies.  You're probably wondering where the butterflies are on my card!  LOL!  There are plenty of butterflies to choose from in the set, but this week I chose to focus on the pretty flowers.  I cut them out after stamping them and popped them up with foam dots for a little dimension.

Pin It

Supplies:
Stamps - Prickley Pear (Mini Butterflies Clear Stamp Set)
Paper - kraft cardstock, SU Regal Rose cardstock, My Mind's Eye DP (Alphabet Soup)
Ink - SU Basic Black & Regal Rose
Accessories - baker's twine, SU scalloped border punch, Stickles (clear), sponge, foam dots, corner rounder

Thinking of Spring

Now that Valentine's Day has come and gone, I'm starting to think S-P-R-I-N-G!  I can't say this winter has been all that bad with snow, but there is something about being stuck indoors for a few months that gets to me after a while, especially with three little boys.  Since today is 2 Cute Ink day for me, I just had to use this adorable spring themed stamp called Baby Chickie!  The nice thing about this particular image is that Heidi will send you two images, one with plain eggs and one with the eggs decorated for Easter!

I used my Nestabilities to create an oval shaped card, made some faux stitching with my paper piercer and black marker and then added some clear Stickles to the eggs to give them a little sparkle.

Supplies:
Stamps - 2 Cute Ink (Baby Chickie - digital), Elzybells (sentiment)
Paper - SU Daffodil Delight & Basic Black cardstocks, Copic Blending Card
Accessories - SU Basic Black marker, paper piercer, Nestabilities (oval, scalloped oval), Stickles, SU flower button, baker's twine
Coloring - Copic markers

Spring's Silent Entrance

I can't say spring is arriving with much pomp and circumstance around here.  It's been cool and dreary several days lately with a day of sunshine and wind mixed in for good measure.  It's when things don't look so spring like that I go looking for evidence of the season!  I love spring and summer because they inspire me to get my camera out and clicking again!  Here's what I found:

There's nothing like nature to remind us that even when everything else seems so hopeless & dreary, there's a greater work being done behind the scenes if we only stop and notice.

Hello Again, Sunshine!

I awoke to bright sunshine this morning.  There's something about starting a day with the sun shining happily through my window that simply makes everything seem good!  I'm a bit more solar powered than I'd like to admit.  After a few days of cold, wet, dreary weather, I'm happy to see that big ball of orange in the sky again!  In celebration, I dug out orange for my card base today!  :)

Supplies:
Stamps - SU Easter Blossoms, Season by Season (sentiment) sets
Paper - SU Pumpkin Pie, Real Red, Tempting Turquoise, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry cardstocks
Ink - SU Real Red, Tempting Turquoise, Daffodiil Delight, Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry
Accessories - SU Pumpkin Pie button (Brights Collection), baker's twine, glue dots

Challenge:  SCS Ways to Use It Challenge #319

I think I'd better put this out where I can see it today!  I see some clouds moving in!  Eeek!

Happy Spring!

I never greeted spring officially yet, so today I'm saying, "Happy Spring!"  The temperatures are slowly, but surely, edging their way upward and, for that, I'm grateful!  The mornings are full of birds singing and beautiful sunrises over winter's barren trees.  Makes it almost worth getting up earlier to drink it all in!  Almost.

I didn't take the time to stamp anything new yesterday.  I did stamp, but it was for a card order I received a few weeks back.  I hope to finish those up this week yet, but wanted to stamp something fresh and new today!

Supplies:
Stamps - SU Easter Blossoms set
Paper - SU Poppy Parade, Baja Breeze, Pear Pizzazz CS, Paper Trey white CS
Ink - SU Poppy Parade, Baja Breeze
Accessories - Sizzix embossing folder, Nestabilities (oval, scalloped oval), SU Sizzix Embosslits (Beautiful Wings), SU oval punch, sparkle flower gems (Hero Arts), SU Poppy Parade ribbon, sponge, Stampin' Dimensionals

Challenges:  SCS Color Challenge #317, SCS Sketch Challenge #327

It's a Spring Thing

Today started out all grey and dreary outside, but it's coming to a close with bright, cheerful sunshine!  I played along with today's Free for All Challenge over at Splitcoast Stampers.  We were to use things that reminded us of a garden and spring.  I had to ink up my Changito monkeys as they were wanting to play in the flowers!  :)

Supplies:
Stamps - Stampendous (Changito Spring set)
Paper - Echo Park DP (Springtime), Paper Trey white CS, SU So Saffron, Certainly Celery CS
Ink - Memento Rich Cocoa, SU Certainly Celery, So Saffron, Rose Red
Accessories - sponge, Stickles (Yellow), jeweled paper flowers, Nestabilities (circle), SU label punch
Coloring - blender pen with ink pads

Thinking of Spring

I had some quiet time to stamp this afternoon while the rest of the family was napping.  Well, resting, anyway.  The older boys have a habit of wiggling and jiggling in a kid fashion to keep from actually going to sleep sometimes and today was one of those days.  But alas, they did stay in their room for the scheduled "rest" and provided their mother with some quiet time to think and create.

I made this card, CASE'ing a card for today's Featured Stamper Challenge over at Splitcoast Stampers.  I love browsing through the galleries and finding wonderful cards to CASE!  Such talent over there, I tell ya!  What an inspiration!

The weather people are telling us there is a snow storm coming within the next three days, so I loved making this card as it reminds me that spring will eventually come; winter does not last forever!  :)

Supplies:
Stamps:  Elzybells (no longer available...the company went out of business), Hero Arts (sentiment)
Ink:  SU Pumpkin Pie, Bashful Blue, So Saffron, Basic Black, Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper:  SU DP, SU Pumpkin Pie textured CS, Paper Trey white CS
Accessories:  SU rhinestone brad, SU tag punches, SU lace border punch, SU ribbon (Elementary)
Coloring:  Blender pen