Card Sketches and Challenges

Hi!
My name is Anabelle and I love to make cards! ;)
Lately, I've been finding myself drawn to some of the many card sketch or challenge sites that are out there. It's really fun to participate in the challenges. Usually, they involve trying something I didn't think of doing. And the sketches are great, too. I love how you can interpret them literally or take pieces of them that work for you. I decided that for today's post, I wanted to assemble as many sketch/challenge site links as I could find. I'm sure the list is incomplete, but here are the ones I've found.

Sketch This

Cardalicious


CPS Card Sketches

2 Sketches 4 You

Caardvarks

Kristina Werner Color Challenge

Our Creative Corner

His Holy Name Challenge

Colour Create

Sketch Saturday

Friday Sketchers

Cute Card Thursday

Everybody Art Challenge

Daring Cardmakers

Roses on Paper Challenges

Thank God it's Friday

Magnolia Vs. Stampavie

Just Christmas and Birthday Cards

Tales from Pollycraft

A Spoon Full of Sugar

Whiff of Joy Challenge

Dutch Dare Card Challenge

Stamp Something

Forever Friends Challenge

House Mouse Monday Challenge


Card Patterns

The Pink Elephant Challenge

Cuttlebug Challenges

Sketches! (By Tamara)

Penny Black Saturday Challenge

Arty Girlz

Fab's Big Christmas Cards Challenge

Mojo Monday

Splitcoast Stampers: Try a New Technique Challenge

Created By Courney Sketches

Inspirational Card Sketches

Splitcoast Stampers Color Combinations Challenge

Color Throwdown

Splitcoast Stampers: Card Sketches Forum

Splitcoast Stampers: Ways to Use It Challenge

Prairie Paper and Ink Sketches


Splitcoast Stampers: Limited Supplies Challenge


Tag You're It Challenge

Cinema Saturday Creative Challenge

Splitcoast Stampers: Inspriation Challenge


Ann's Creative Nook

Page Plans

Basic Grey Challenges


Card Sketch a Day

My Time to Craft Challenge

Scrummy Stash Cafe

Cupcake Craft Challenge

So Sketchy

Taylored Expressions

3D Design Challenge

Di Hickman Card Sketches

Scrapaddicts Sketches

Little Book of Sketches

Card Maps (On Becky Fleck's Pagemaps Site)

Colour Create

My Sketch World

Ooh La la Creations

Papertake Weekly

Sketch and Stash

Tanda Stamps
I'm sure this is not a complete list of all the card sketch and challenge sites out there. So, if you know of another, please link it and I'll add it to the list.

So, here are a few examples of cards I've made using some of the sites...

This first one is a card I did for Cardalicious' challenge last week. I needed to make a thank you card using the color pink, some stitching and some felt.





This next one was based on this week's CPS sketch, 103. I made a gift tag. I used a Tattered Angels glimmer screen and sprayed Key Lime glimmer mist onto it to create the background.




And finally, here is the one I did for 2 Sketches 4 You last week. It's based on Laura's Sketch 19.




(I can't seem to stop using pink right now. Must be because I live in a house filled with testosterone. I gotta get my girly fix somehow!)

Well, I hope this list will help get your creative juices flowing! And remember, if you have another site you'd like me to add, please leave it in the comments.

Have a great day~ Anabelle

Be Mine Flower

What can I say...I love February. And it's not because of the weather..because I'm NOT a cold weather girl. And it's not because it's the 2nd month of the year. Rather I love February because it has Valentine's Day in it. I get all giddy when I spy the conversation heart candies, the decorations all pink and red, the cute kids valentines to hand out at parties, red heart boxer shorts for your sweetie...red hots!

I think you get the picture...I heart Valentine's Day. And I love to leave a little bit of that around me..and not just for the holiday. I've grown to love finding unique ways to incorporate decorations that I can make into my home decor. And when I mix those ideas with flowers..my other love..it's a win-win or maybe I should say love-love!

Here's my newest creation for the holiday that just may stay out quite a bit past the 14th!

Supplies:

Bo Bunny Sweetie Pie Squeeze, Bo Bunny Sweetie Pie Sigh, Bo Bunny Sweetie Pie Smooth, Bo Bunny Double Dot Licorice Ribbon, Blush dot, Tutut Dot, Wild Berry Dot Pink Punch Dot Cardstock, Bo Bunny Gettin In Shape Bleached Chipboard, Mega & Giga Marvy Uchida Scalloped Circle punch, Felt Heart, Heidi Swapp Felt Butterfly, Foam Adhesive, Paper Shaper Large Heart Punch, Colorbox Chalk Inks: Warm Red, Lime Green and Blush.

Instructions:

1) I used a green, stryofoam circle for the base of the flower. I covered the back and front with the pink dotted cardstock. The front circle is larger than the styrofoam circle...extending about a 1/4 past.

2) I then added layers of chipboard and papers using foam circles to pop them up for dimension. The felt heart I found at Hobby Lobby and could not pass it up! I tied a small length of the black polka dot ribbon. Added a small Heidi Swapp pink felt butterfly.

3) I punched hearts that I layered around the backside of the circle.

4) For the stem I painted a wood dowel then added diecut leaves (Cricut - Accent Essentials) that I layered the new Bo Bunny Chunky Charms Swirls in Clover on.

5) Last I used black river rocks I found on clearance at Target. Added those to a cute red, speckled bucket..and added in the flower.

After making this I realized it would look cute to tuck in two smaller, simplier versions of the flower on shorter stems...so I may just do that.

But for now..this definitely is one flower that will "Be Mine!"

Julia

Love is in the Air

I find that quotes can be a wonderful starting point for a card or layout. With Valentine's Day less than 2 weeks away, I thought this would be a great time to share some inspiring love quotes.

All love is sweet, given or returned.
-Percy Bysshe Shelley

If I know what love is, it is because of you.
-Herman Hesse

Love doesn't make the world go round, love is what makes the ride worthwhile.
-Elizabeth Browning

Paradise is always where love dwells.

-Jean Paul F. Richter

The life and love we create is the life and love we live.
-Leo Buscaglia

For you see, each day I love you more
Today more than yesterday and less than tomorrow.
-Rosemonde Gerard

Trip over love, you can get up.
Fall in love and you fall forever.
-Author Unknown

Anyone can catch your eye, but it takes someone special to catch your heart.
-Author Unknown

A hundred hearts would be too few
To carry all my love for you.
-Author Unknown

A man is not where he lives, but where he loves.
-Latin Proverb

True love stories never have endings.
-Richard Bach

Love is being stupid together.
-Paul Valery

Harmony is pure love, for love is a concerto.
-Lope de Vega

Love is friendship set on fire.
-Jeremy Taylor

My heart is ever at your service.
-William Shakespeare

In the arithmetic of love, one plus one equals everything, and two minus one equals nothing.
-Mignon McLaughlin

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.
-Helen Keller


Enjoy,

iValentine project...teenagers, kids of all ages & adults will love this!

Valentine's Day isn't too far away and I have been looking for unique ideas for little gifts to our boys. It is so hard to come up with "cool" things for school age boys for V-day. We don't do anything big in the way of gifts for this particular holiday. I just try to find several small things to give them that let them know they are loved more than they will ever know.
When I saw this idea (below) I knew this was a perfect Valentine for all of my boys! I ended up making four...one for each kiddo and my hubby, too!

All you need to complete this project is:
Box of conversation hearts
2 Reece's Peanut butter cups
string (or DMC floss)
foil
scotch tape
cardstock or patterned paper
adhesive


To print the "iLove" labels and read more detailed instructions, please follow the link to Family Fun Magazine where you can download the pdf file to print your own labels. You can even change the name of the songs like I did on one of mine. (shown below)

A quick consolidation of the instructions are:
1- Cut about 12" of string and tape one end of the string to the side of the candy box (near the top). Tie a second small strand of string to the main string. (this creates the "Y" in the headphone wires.)
2- Trim a piece of paper or cardstock to measure 4x7". Wrap the paper around the box and secure with adhesive.
3- Trim a circle of foil large enough to cover the Reece's cup. The magazine suggests a 4" circle- I found this to be too much). Wrap each cup with the silver foil.
4- Print and cut out the labels and glue in place.


Click photo for enlarged view

There are all kinds of Valentine's Day projects on the Family Fun website, so if you're searching for other ideas, take a look around. I was really excited to see some unique Valentine's rather than the ordinary store bought cards. A big "thanks" to Family Fun Magazine!

Never say, "oops." Always say, "Ah, interesting."

I love that quote, but I assure you, "Ah, interesting" was not what I uttered when I made this mistake.

I was just minding my own business, puttering along on a little birthday card, thinking "I think it needs some stitching. Yup, riiiiight here" when I did it. Yeah... I sewed my card together. As in, it's not so much a card, persay, when it doesn't open anymore. The opening part is generally important.

So, what is one to do with a card one has sewn together? (Especially when one is a lazy as I am and refuses to remake the whole thing?) One goes, huh... I think a gift card might fit in there. AHA! Brilliant. And that brings us to the next quote...

I never make stupid mistakes. Only very, very clever ones.
~John Peel

It's my new mantra.

To make the slot for the gift card, just use a circle punch (I punched through both layers because as previously stated, my card was not, um, openable) to create a spot to grab the gift card. You can leave it as is, but I hid mine by putting an embellishment over it and adhering it to the card with a piece of foam tape. The foam tape gives the embellishment the height that is necessary to allow it to slide over the top of the card.

I'm pretty happy with how this little mistake turned out! Here's to many more, ha!

Jessica

Birthday Wishes card:
Vintage Black Mini Paper by Jenni Bowlin
Card Greetings II Stamps by Green Grass Stamps
Happily Ever After Buttons by Autumn Leaves
Bliss Pattern Paper by My Mind's Eye
Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink in Charcoal by Clearsnap
Scalloped Circle punch by Martha Stewart Crafts
Other: circle punches, sewing machine

Creating your own journaling labels

Journaling labels are everywhere these days, aren't they? I wanted to show you a very easy way to create your own, in any color - a perfect way to always have one to hand.

First, I chose Spellbinders Labels One for my shape. Second, I stamped my lines. I used the Cornish Heritage Farms Lined Paper backgrounder. Determine where you want your die to cut, and use a little masking tape to hold your die in the perfect spot.



Next step? Create a foam stamp in a frame shape. All that entails is lining up your dies on the Spellbinders magnetic spacer plate like this:



With a piece of fun foam (whichever color you want - I tend to pick the color in my multi-pack that I'm least likely to use), die cut just as you would a piece of paper. (Experiment with your individual die cutting machine to determine the best sandwich for this material and your machine.)



Using the cut frame, use a temporary/repositionable adhesive to allow you to adhere it to an acrylic block. Voila! You have your own frame stamp. Ink it up with the same color you stamped your lines with, line it up over the die cut and presto - your own custom journaling label!

See? Told you it was easy! Be well.

Happy New Year!!

Well, we're back! Hope everyone's holidays were relaxing and filled with friends, food and fun. Looks like it's time to get back to work and school. For me, that means getting back into a routine and hopefully having time to get more scrapping done.

I wanted to share this page with you today. I love flowers. I have so many of them that I could use them on every project I create and still have tons left over. Since I'm the only female in my household, I usually use them on cards, layouts about me, or altered projects. But, I do sometimes use them on masculine pages, too. This page is an example of how to add them without making the page look too 'girly'. First, I started with a strong plaid backgound. I used small flowers and embellished them with buttons and star jewels. That way the flowers work as an accent, and your eyes aren't immediately drawn to them. Finally, I adhered the red and white cord around the circles to add some more texture to the page. And, yes, the journaling lines ARE all stitched. ;)





So, don't be afraid to add flowers to layouts about the men in your life. They add a beautiful touch to the page AND you can use up your stash!

Have a great day! ~Anabelle