Scenic Country Cards

I want to apologize to my followers for not being very active lately.  May is the last month of school and life becomes so busy for me that I usually come home exhausted.  It makes it hard for me to be very creative.  The good news is our adorable class graduated on Friday so the stress will be less.  They did an awesome job and looked so cute in their little blue gowns and hats (I make new hats and tassels every year).  Our newest student, who joined our class three days before graduation, did a wonderful job, too.  I came home ready to crash but first had a lovely dinner out with my hubby to celebrate our 27^th wedding anniversary.  Then I slept for 12 hours, took a nap in the afternoon and slept another 9 hours last night.  I am feeling much more creative now. 

Today was my day to post at the Sparkle N Sprinkle blog.  I love doing scenic cards so I shared two cards I made using an older set called Country.  This is a larger set, with 21 images, and works perfect for so many different themes.  I stamped images in black over lovely backgrounds created with masking and ink on white glossy cardstock (see the Zindorf Technique at Splitcoast Stampers) 

These cards use the Cream Cans and Old Wagon images.  I added barbed wire fencing to this first card and the sentiment is from the Just For You Stampette set. 

This second card has some apples in the wagon and grass created with Sea Oats.  The flowers are created using embossing, fussy cutting, and shaping.  The sentiment, Faith Is…Bird, and the Flying Bird are both from the Bird Swirl Set.

Head on over to the SNS blog to learn more.  You will want to remember to visit them again on Tuesday for a new Technique Tuesday.  I am sure April will have another terrific technique you won’t want to miss. 

Don’t forget there are only 4 more days to enter our May Sketch Challenge for a chance to win a free stamp set of your choice.  All the details can be found here. 

Have a wonderful week. 

E. Marie

These cards are entered in the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp and Show Challenge - Summer Holiday

Top Tip Challenge 77 - Dig Out The Old (Sentiment Stamps older than 6 months)

Crafts and Me Challenge #85 – Fabulous Flowers (see card #2)

Crafty Catz Weekly Challenge #134 – Card For a Man (see card #1)

Creative Card Crew Challenge #11 – Dimension (see flowers on card #2)

Delightful Sketches Weekly Challenge – Flowers (see card #2 – 3 dimensional flowers/3 flowers in image)

DYSU #73 – A Little Birdie Told Me/Use Birds (see card #2)

Ladybugs Crafts Ink Challenge #61 – Something With Wings (see card #2)

Oldie But A Goodie Challenge – Things With Wings (see card #2 – Sentiment over 6 mo. old)

Sentimental Sundays Challenge #104 – Pocket Full of Posies (see card #2)

Totally Paper Crafts Challenge #118 - Animal (see card #2)

Stamping Scrapping May Challenge - Dad/Masculine (Card #1 used Spellbinders Label 17 and Distress Inks)

And The Winner Is...

What a fantastic blog hop!!  I think we are all ready for summer.  I am sure you are also wanting to know who the winners are.  So I won’t leaving you waiting – here they are:

Grand Prize #1 – Stamp Set of your choice on cling cushion

JAYMACK

Grand Prize #2 – Stampette Set of your choice on cling cushion

HELEN M

  

1st Place – 2 Glitter Tinsels of your choice 

KATHY VOGEL

  

2nd Place – 3 small Embossing Powders of your choice 

JULIE

3rd Place – 3 small Glitters of your choice 

NW FLAMINGO 

Congratulation!!  Please e-mail brenda@sparklensprinkle.com with your name, address, e-mail address, phone number and prize choices. 

Thank you all for participating.  We really appreciate that you take your time visit each of us and leave so many kind comments.  We hope that you feel inspired by what you see.  Our next hop will be July 12-13 – Christmas in July.  It is never too soon to get started on the Christmas cards. 

See you again soon, 

E. Marie

Sparkle N Sprinkle's Celebrating Summer Blog Hop

Welcome to the Sparkle N Sprinkle's Celebrating Summer Blog Hop.  School is almost out and summer is around the corner!!  Time for some summer fun!!  If you hopped here from April Williams’ wonderful blog, you are in the right place!!  If you are just starting at my blog, you might want to go to the SNS blog to get all of the details and start from the beginning. 

There is a chance to win one of FIVE great prizes!!  There are 2 grand prizes and 3 “random” prizes that are attached to 3 different designers’ blogs!  To become eligible to win, please visit each designer’s blog and leave a comment.  The hop runs from Thursday, May 17 through Friday, May 18.  All winners will be announced on Saturday, May 19. 

One of my favorite things to do in the summer is to go to the ocean and walk along the beach, picking up shells.  It is so relaxing with the sound of the waves in the background, a breeze coming off of the water, and the sand between your toes.  I tried to put all of this in today’s card. 

The main image is a combination of the Nature's Gift  image and the Sand in YourShoes image.  The Sand in Your Shoes image was stamped twice and cut out with Spellbinder Oval dies.  These were popped up on top of each other and layered on top of the Nature’s Gift image. 

The background is created using the Faux Patina technique.  Then cream decorative paper is torn, sponged with antique linen ink, and layered along the left side and the bottom.  Sea Oats were stamped and embossed with Cappuccino EP on the left side and Sand along the bottom strips with Hit theBeach EP.  Then I added Mudd Puddles Beach Pieces and shells cut out from the Nature’s Gift image.  The Mudd Puddles are a new product at SparkleN Sprinkle and I love what they added to my card.  The Beach Pieces are pieces of shell in a quick drying adhesive and you just spread them with a knife.  As a final touch I added a sea horse charm, colored with alcohol markers and embossed several times with Silver Pearl EP, hung from blue fiber. 

Thanks so much for stopping by.  Now it is time to head over to Shona Erlenborn’s sparkling blog.  Don’t forget to leave a comment before you hop to be eligible to win!!  Also, all Water, Food and Beverage, and designer, Rosiland Solomon, images are on special - 15% off.  To see all the specials, click here.

E. Marie

This card is entered in the following challenges:

Bunny Zoe's Crafts Challenge 24 – Anything Goes             

Paper Pretties Monday Challenge PPMC39 - Glitter!  
SimonSays Stamp and Show Challenge - Anything Goes!
DelightfulSketches Weekly Challenge – Distressing

Zendoodle Flowers

It has been quite a week!!  With school ending in a few more weeks things are a bit crazy.  It didn’t help that I lost my voice.  Lots of exciting things are happening at Sparkle N Sprinkle.  They just released four new sets and they are wonderful.  You can see them at the SNS blog.

Have you ever tried Zentangles.  SNS sells quite a few Zentangle books and I keep meaning to play with this technique but never seem to try it.  I love the way it looks so I was very excited to see this as part of two of the new sets that have just been released.  Today’s card used the new Zendoodle Flowers Set.

I stamped all the images with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored them with my new alcohol markers.  I used a Spellbinder label die to cut a window out of my top layer and popped it up over the Zendoodle Stem Daisy image.  I cut out the other images and layered them around the window with the Zendoodle Laughs image at the bottom, layered on pink.  I thought this kind of gave the look of a window box full of flowers.

Don’t forget to come back tomorrow for the Sparkle N Sprinkle Celebrating Summer Blog Hop!!

E. Marie

This card is entered in the following challenges:

Bunny Zoe's Crafts Challenge 24 – Anything Goes            

Paper Sundaes Challenge #120 - Things with Wings     
Simon Says Stamps Challenge – Clean and Simple
Top Tip Tuesday Challenge 76 - Clean and Simple
Kaboodle Doodles Challenge #110 – Clean and Simple  
Sentimental Sundays Challenge #102 - (B)irthday/Embellishments that start with the letter B (Buttons)
Stamptacular Sunday Challenge #163 – Butterfly Kisses

PaperPretties Monday Challenge PPMC39 - Glitter!  

Moxie Fab World Tuesday Trigger – Brite Bite

Happy Mother's Day

What a wonderful, peaceful Mother’s Day.  It is actually kind of dreary with a lot of rain but this made it a perfect day to stay in and play in my craft room.  My husband was going to grill some filet mignons but with all the rain we ended up with baked chicken.  Don't worry, we will have them pretty soon.  We had some delicious organic potatoes and broccoli, given to me by one of my students this week for Teacher Appreciation.  The only thing that would have made this day better was to actually have spent it with my children.  Both girls are out of town, though one is due back any minute.  I was able to spend time with both of them last weekend since we drove to Memphis for the oldest daughter’s college graduation.  Very proud!! 

I meant to have this post out earlier today but had saved it as a draft and forgot to tell it when to post.  My mother lives far away so I do not get to see her very often.  She will get a phone call shortly.  This made me think how there are so many people in our lives who are so special and how important it is to let them know.  What better way than with a handmade card.  I made this card for that very reason, using Sparkle N Sprinkle’s Hummingbirds & Flowers Stamp Set and some lovely cardstock I have had in my stash for a while. 

The HibiscusFlower is embossed with Teddy Brown Embossing Powder and colored with chalks and a Dove Blender.  They are layered on some very sparkly Pine Star Embossing Powder.  Head over to the Sparkle N Sprinkle Blog for more details or you can find it in the gallery here.

All the stamps used on this card can be purchased individually or together in the Hummingbirds& Flowers stamp set, on sale this month at a 15% discount.  Check out all the May monthly specials.

Also, don’t forget to come back for a sneak peak of some new SNS stamps about to be released, along with the Sparkle and Sprinkle Celebrating Summer Blog Hop on May 17-18. 

Happy Mother’s Day!!

E. Marie

This card is entered in the following challenges:

CI Paints Challenge - Inspired By: Mother's Day

Speedy Fox and Friends Challenge 107 - Use Chalk

Paper Sundaes Challenge #120 - Things with Wings        

DYSU #71 - Use A Flower
Oldie But A Goodie Challenge – Die Cuts and Punches (6 mo. old – Cardstock)
Stamp and Create May Challenge - For the Ladies
Stampin Sisters In Christ Challenge #139 - Animal, Bird or Bug
Totally Gorjuss Challenge #131 - Pink and Green

Enjoy The Simple Things

Sorry I haven’t been around lately.  I hurt my back while picking strawberries in the rain with our kindergarteners and have been unable to “play”. I am finally feeling better and recently purchased some alcohol markers so had to play tonight. This is my first time using these and I had a lot of fun. I still need a lot of practice but thought it wasn't too bad for a beginner.

I made this card for the Impression Obsession Challenge with the theme of “Summer Celebration”.  When I saw this stamp called Summer Field (G2204), it brought back wonderful memories of being a child and chasing the fireflies.  No better way to celebrate summer.  I also created the dark blue background with the sentiment using Cover-a-Card Lg. Paisley (CC039).  The sentiment is also from IO but I have had it awhile and could not find it in this format.  They do still have the saying but not vertically.  It is Enjoy Simple Things (A11018B).

I used a Spellbinders’ Labels Four to cut out the image and the black and yellow layers.  I used  the Grand Labels Four for the vertical embossed gray layer, along with the blue.  I used Sizzix Texture Fades Embossing Folder, Rays, for the embossing and rubbed over it with gold ink.  All of this is layered on top of a round black card base, cut out with Spellbinders’ GrandCircles die.

Thanks for stopping by!!

E. Marie

This card is also entered in the following challenges:

TheCuttlebug Spot Challenge – Flowers

Speedy Fox and Friends Challenge 106 - 3 of Something (Flowers with buttons)

Stampin For The Weekend Challenge #8 – Layer Upon Layer

Anything Challenge #66 – Things With Wings

CES Challenge #84 – No Squares Allowed

Clearly Inspired Challenge #51 (CIC51) – What Goes Up, Must Come Down (Things in the air)

Crafts and Me Challenge #83 – Punches and Die Cuts

Crafty Catz Weekly Challenge #131 – April Showers Brings Forth May Flowers (Flowers part of image)

Crazy 4 Challenges C4C135 – Gardening or Great Outdoors

CCW April Mini Challenge – Something Black

Ladybugs Crafts Ink TLC Challenge #60 Anything But Square

Little Claire Monthly Challenge # 20 - Doing the Rounds

Oldie But A Goodie Challenge – Die Cuts and Punches (Dies, Stamps, and Embossing Folder over 6 months old)

One Stop Craft Challenge #181 – Celebration

Sparkle N Sprinkle May Sketch Challenge

Happy May Day!!!  Can you believe it is already May 1^st.  The teacher I work with is originally from Hawaii and they always celebrate May Day, also known as Lei Day, so we usually help our little kindergarten students each make a Lei.  I die cut a lot of flowers and they string them on yarn with pieces of straws between them.  They love doing this, and we review patterns. 

Today is also time for a new sketch challenge at the Sparkle N Sprinkle Blog so here is the new sketch.  You will have until the end of the month to enter a card for a chance to win a free stamp set of your choice.  You can find all the details on the SNS Blog, along with some great inspiration from some of my fellow designers. 

I have been playing with one of my favorite background techniques called Zindorf.  You create awesome scenic looks by simply sponging or brayering different colors of ink on your glossy cardstock, starting with the lightest colors and using darker colors toward the edges.  I decided to do a form of this for my sketch card.

I embossed my images, Sandin Your Shoes and Sun Wave, and then added all of the color to the background.  I used even darker colors for the bottom layer and then added the embossed Sea Oats.  For the Sun Wave and Sea Oats, I used one of our newer embossing powders called Sienna Star.

I used Spellbinders Standard Circles LG Nestabilities to cut out the centers of the suns and added my charms.  These charms were originally an antique gold but I colored them with permanent markers and then added VersaMark Ink and Sparkle Embossing Powder.  The top layer is popped up so the charms can dangle.  Details on making this card can be found in the Sparkle N Sprinkle Gallery. 

I will be looking forward to seeing all your fabulous creations using this sketch!! 

E. Marie 

This card is entered in the following challenges:

Speedy Fox and Friends Challenge 105- Blues

Simon Says Stamps Challenge – Anything Goes

Simon Says Stamp and Show - Kaleidescope of Colour!

The Corrosive Challenge #148 - The Man, the Myth, the Legend:  Tim Holtz (Distress Inks)

Crafty Catz Weekly Challenge #130 – Anything Goes

Fussy and Fancy Friday Challenge #61 - Punches and Dies

Kaboodle Doodles Challenge #117 – Dimension

Oldie But A Goodie Challenge – Die Cuts and Punches (Distress Inks and Corded Ribbon