Get Inspired Challenge

I did these cards to play along with the Magical Monday challenge over at There's Magic In The Air. This week’s image was "Elvis in boots". The challenge was an inspirational challenge with color and textures. You can check it out here.

I kept my cards quite simple and concentrated more on the colors then anything. I wanted my image to stand alone and out on this card. I have a hard time keeping things simple sometimes, especially in my layouts. It's a little easier in my cards.

I colored my image with my Bic Mark-its and I used a diamond glaze on his rain boots and hat to make them more slick and also on the puddle. I thought the dotted ribbon was just wonderful with the button and thread being the perfect finishing touch.



You can see the diamond glaze better in this picture on his boots and in the puddle. The sentiment which is computer generated reads: Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves


Now isn't that button with the thread just too cute!

On this card, I kept it simple as well, but I copied the image in Print Shop Deluxe several times, as well as sized them down to smaller sizes and placed them that way on the original printout. I then drew more grass down the duck line and also added more water so they were in one big puddle. I then cut it out. I did this card, because if you have a program such as this you can crop the image close and place them closer together like in this card. This is one of the wonderful things about digital images. If you don't have a program Print Shop Deluxe is really not that expensive and fairly easy to use. It would really be worth the $50.00 to get it to do digital images in and your sentiments. You can find the program here you want to check it out.The letters are a bit brighter in real life but I took this picture in the evening. They were rub-ons and were actually a light blue, so I colored them red with my markers and then added black dots. Both these cards were colored with my Bic Mark-its. My youngest son Avery always tells me its a "Happy Day" and I just love that saying so I thought this looked like a Happy Day in a duck's life! I just also noticed on these pics that I did not color the eyes.. funny how you see stuff like that once uploaded, so I will go back and color them in now, but I am not taking more pics and uploading so you can pretend that they are colored! :O)





Well, that's it for Elvis, but I certainly will be using him a lot on other cards when I find time to do so!

I hope you find a puddle of joy somewhere today, so while you are looking for it.... have a Happy Day!

Cuttlebug Embossing Folders + Paper Rose = Beautiful Project

So, while visiting Curt's blog over the last few weeks I was inspired to come up with this completed project. He had posted these wonderful cards that really were fairly simple because the cuttlebug embossing folders did so much of the work. I think we all sometimes forget how truly wonderful these little folders are all by themselves. Yes, this post just emphasized just how wonderfully they stand on their own. So, first thing I thought was I would case them. Although I didn't have any of the folders he used, mainly because I wasn't sure how I would use them with other things, now I will have to buy some of them (thanks Curt). So, since I knew I wanted to make this as a gift set of cards I knew I wanted to put them in something that was more a keepsake once the cards were gone. So, I went to Hobby Lobby and bought one of those little brown paper mache type boxes. So, just like the cards I wanted the box to reflect the same kind of texture and look. So, this is what I came up with.

Below is the complete project: (double left click the picture for a much larger view)


The card stock on the box is from the Green Stack from DCWV and has little brown dots and also had those scrolls already on it. I sent the pieces through the cuttlebug to emboss and the sanded the embossing. I then added a gold metallic rub-on to the top of that to give it a more vintage look. I did that all over the box. For the lid I started off adding some ivory lace to keep with the Victorian feel and added a brown ribbon on top of that. I knew I wanted to use one of those paper roses that Helen had posted a tutorial on her blog a few months back that I had never made, but thought they were beautiful and wanted to give one a try.


I added a friendship verse that reads: If I had one gift that I could give you, my friend, it would be the ability to see yourself as others see you, because only then would you know how extremely special you are. I also added a little butterfly to the side to add some interest.



I really wanted to keep the overall box fairly simple and beautiful. I wanted the embossing, the verse and the simplicity to stand out. With the rose I added pearls to the top and coated them with a golden paint to make them match the rose and added some black crystals swirls as well. To not over due it, I left it at that.

I just loved how my rose turned out. I started with a golden yellowish orange card stock and followed the instructions on Helen's blog. I added to the edges of the hearts (see tutorial) Tim Holtz mustard seed distress ink. Then I went back and added a pink from color box right over the mustard seed. After putting the rose together, I then sprayed it with a purple glimmer mist. Then I went back once more and added a yellowish metallic rub-in to the tips of the rose petals. Once it all dried I also sprayed it with a "Deft" satin lacquer spray to seal it. I really do love how this overall project finished out.


I am such a "matchy" kind of girl, I wanted something on my envelopes to match my cards, so I decided to embossed just the flap on the envelope with the folder that matched the card. I was so pleased, an envie that matched!


The next two pictures is the set of all eight cards that will be placed in the box as a gift set!





I agree with Curt, this project is so much more beautiful in real life I wish you could see it in person. My box it much richer also in color, but I love how it turned out and I am sure I will be making these again! Thanks again Curt and Helen for the inspiration incorporated into my project!!

Thanks for stopping by and have a cheekie day!