Pinterest Inspired at My Craft Spot!

Happy Monday, my dear friends! I hope your week is off to a lovely start! :o)

Today begins a new challenge at My Craft Spot! This week we're being inspired by this gorgeous spring color palette:

Isn't it beautiful? I used it to create a soft and spring-inspired card for my dear mom who is enduring a lot of pain.

She loves tea cups, which seemed like a perfect fit for this challenge. It also enabled me to ink up one of my favorite My Craft Spot sentiments that I've been wanting to use! :o)

My primary sentiment is from the Tasty Treats set, which I've stamped beneath the curve in the Marianne Design Fancy Edge with Lattice (LR0202) border die. My other sentiment is from the beloved Tiny Tags 2 set, cut out with the coordinating Tiny Tags Metal Dies. The shape reminded me of the tag holder thingies on tea bags, so I secured it with Natural Jute String and tucked it inside the tea cup.

Enlarge the following picture to see the steam made of microbeads! (It's sparkly!)

I had fun creating the steam! Using the My Favorite Things Fancy Flourish die, I cut out swirls with acetate paper. Not only is it perfectly clear, but it's also sturdy enough to stand up on its own without requiring adhesive all along it. I coated it in Glossy Accents and dumped an avalanche of microbeads atop it. It's a lovely effect in person.  The tea cup, saucer, and spoon are a Marianne Design die set (CR1237).

The pretty papers are from the My Mind's Eye Miss Caroline (Howdy Doody) collection, which came to mind the instant I saw the color palette. I layered My Craft Spot's Buttercup crinkle ribbon with lace from The Ribbon Girl, centering the sunshiny bow with a Wild Orchid Crafts scalloped pearl. The metal filigree corners are also from WOC.

This was a fun card to make! I'll be giving it to my mom later today and I hope it makes her smile. :o)

Be sure to flutter over to see the beautiful creations from my teamies! I look forward to seeing how this Pinterest inspiration guides your creative hearts! :o) Thank you for visiting! Have a beautifully blessed day. :o)

Challenges entered:
 *613 Avenue Create~ Anything Goes (Optional: 2d/3d Flowers)
 *A Gem of a Challenge~ Mother's Day/Female Birthday/Special Lady
 *Card Mania~ Something New (Tea cup, saucer, and spoon metal die set)
 *Craftin Desert Divas Linky Party~ Buttons, Ribbon, Twine, Brads: Use at least 2 (Ribbon and Twine)
 *Crafty Ribbons~ Ribbon and Bows
 *Creative Fingers~ Anything Goes
 *DL.Art Thankful Thursday~ Uplifting Sentiment with at Least 5 Words
 *Hobbybook Designer Challenge~ Make It Girly
 *Just B Creative Crazy~ Anything Goes Linky Party
 *Word Art Wednesday~ Encouraging/Uplifting sentiment

Nuts About You!

Happy Thursday, my sparkly friends! I hope you're having a wonderful day. :o)

Today I'm posting on the My Craft Spot blog with another cute critter card! This is being added to my box of love for Maddy, this month's I Feel the Love Project recipient. She is a precious 6-year-old who is battling cancer and we are showering her with the love she deserves. It is always an honor to create for those in need.

One of my favorite things about animal cards is that they so easily can be made punny. My Craft Spot has an abundance of stamps for those occasions. For this one, I turned to Tasty Treats! I was delighted to discover that this particular sentiment fits inside the new Tiny Doilies 2 metal dies. :o) (The center circle is cut out with the Tiny Doilies metal dies.)

A variety of cut files from the Silhouette Online Store were used to create this card, starting with the adorable Squirrel in Basket of Acorns. Isn't he sweet?! We're nuts about Maddy and I hope it brings a sparkle to her heart. I wanted this to be a fun shape for her, so I welded together a few jumbo acorns to form my card base. For the tops, I used a waffle cone cut file. :o) Gold Stickles accent each one because I can never resist an opportunity to sparklify something. ;)

For an extra touch of sweetness, I added a second sentiment. Hugs is from the Tiny Tags 2 stamp set, which I've cut out with the coordinating Tiny Tags Metal Dies. Chocolate Truffle trendy twine and Chocolate Truffle crinkle ribbon were added not only for prettiness, but also for texture. The button is from my stash. When creating for kids, I try to add in several elements for their precious little hands to explore. :o)

The brown flourish paper is from Echo Park's Runway Collection, while the pretty golden plaid is from DCWV. Bo Bunny flourishes add extra sparkle and I like how the shape is reminiscent of a squirrely tail. :o) For a splash of green, I made a pile of leaves with a Recollections punch.

I hope precious Maddy enjoys this little creation from my sappy heart! Thank you for fluttering on by! I wish you a day of sparkles and sunshine. :o)

Challenges entered:

 *613 Avenue Create~ Anything Goes

 *Craft Your Passion~ Young at Heart

 *Crafting With Dragonflies~ Make a Shaped Card

 *Fab 'n' Funky~ Animals (NO people)

 *Love to Create~ Anything Goes

 *Make It Monday~ Anything Goes

 *Suzy Bee's Bloomin' Challenge~ Buttons or Bows

 *Through the Craft Room Door~ Anything Goes

Anything Goes at 7 Kids College Fund!

Happy Wednesday, my dear friends! I hope you're having a beautiful week! :o)

A new Anything Goes challenges begins today at the 7 Kids Challenge Blog! Although you can create anything your heart desires, the Design Team added a twist to our contributions this week. We're playing with die cuts!

7 Kids offers so many beautiful metal dies. I decided to feature one of my all-time favorite sets in a small wall hanging: Petra's Heart by Marianne Design.

Much of this is tonal, so it's not the easiest to see unless enlarged. If you look closely, you'll see I sprinkled in some gorgeous Memory Box Precious Snowflakes. They are nestled beneath all of the Wild Orchid Crafts roses.

My heart was feeling festive, as it so often does, and I particularly enjoy this die set for Christmas creations. I used one of the wonderful My Craft Spot Christmas stamp sets that I adore: Joy to the World. I love this sentiment and its design, and it rests so perfectly within the heart of my creation.

While it is always fun to add tons of layers, one of the beautiful things about metal dies like this is that they can shine on their own. To showcase the exquisite embossing, I inked them with Tim Holtz Barn Door distress ink.

I also used Barn Door to make my white flowers two-tone and covered my snowflakes in Star Dust for a wintry twinkle. I used jump rings between the dies and a line of rhinestones between the smaller heart and fluttering snowflake. (I honestly don't know what I was thinking in using a white backdrop for this, except that I liked that it felt snowy!)

You have two weeks to play along with us at the 7 Kids Challenge Blog, so I hope you'll join in! We love seeing your inspiring creations. :o) Be sure to visit my DT sisters to see their marvelous projects with metal dies! :o) Have a blessed day!

Products from 7 Kids College Fund Store:

Marianne Design: Petra's Heart

Memory Box: Precious Snowflakes

Tim Holtz Distress Ink: Barn Door

Ranger Stickles: Star Dust

Challenges entered:

 *613 Avenue Create~ Anything Goes

 *Card Mania~ Something New (Memory Box Precious Snowflakes metal dies)

 *Christmas Stampin' All Year Long~ Photo Inspiration

 *Crafting from the Heart~ Anything Goes

 *Creative Fingers~ Anything Goes

 *Love to Create~ Anything Goes

 *Make It Monday~ Anything Goes

 *Papertake Weekly~ Bingo (Gems-Die Cuts-Flowers)

 *Through the Craft Room Door~ Anything Goes

 *Word Art Wednesday~ Encouraging/Uplifting

Cute Critters at My Craft Spot!

Happy Monday, my dear friends! I hope you had a blessed weekend. It's time for a new challenge at My Craft Spot and it's one of my favorite themes: Cute Critters! :o)

It provided a perfect opportunity for me to make another creation for this month's I Feel the Love Project, where we are crafting for 6-year-old Maddy who is battling leukemia. There's another layer of sadness to this story. A ruthless person stole a very special jar from a local restaurant, which her community fills with heartfelt notes and monetary donations to help offset expenses. :( She is the one for whom I made the sparkly treasure box of happy moments.

For my cute critter, I made a loving bee bear to brighten Maddy's day. :o)

Isn't she adorable? She is a Stinkin' Cute Valentine Bee Bear cut file from the Silhouette Online Store and I fell in love with her! I couldn't resist adding two honey dippers to make her extra sweet. The precious My Craft Spot sentiment is from the Tiny Tags 3 stamp set, which I've cut out with the coordinating Tiny Tag Metal Dies. The Black Licorice twine is also from MCS.

The pretty yellow and green papers are from DCWV. The hexagon base is from the SOS, as is the honeycomb background. The pretty beehive has been adorned with sparkles and I used the heart metal die from MCS's Scrapping Life Cards for the door. The heart rhinestone on top of the hive was chosen because love always sustains us. :o) The branch is from KaDoodle Bug Designs, which I've layered with tiny flowers from a border punch. A tiny rhinestone centers each blossom.

An outdoor scene gave me a chance to play with the butterflies again from MCS's Jar Full of Flowers stamp set! They are colored with Copics and covered in Star Dust. I pray each one flutters straight into Maddy's gorgeous heart.

The interior is the same sunshiny paper as the front. :o)

I hope sweet Maddy's beautiful smile emerges every time she sees her new beary happy friend! :o)

Bee sure to buzz on over to My Craft Spot to see the lovely work from my DT sisters! I look forward to seeing all of your cute critters this week! :o) Have a beautiful day!

Challenges entered:

 *613 Avenue Create~ Anything Goes (Optional: Irish Blessing/Saying)

 *Craft Your Passion~ Young at Heart

 *Crafting for all Seasons~ Spring into Spring

 *Crafting From the Heart~ Anything Goes (Optional: Use Favorite Colors)

 *Created With Love~ Think Spring

 *Creative Fingers~ Anything Goes

 *Cute Card Thursday~ What a Gem!

 *Love To Create~ Anything Goes

 *Make It Monday~ Anything Goes

 *Word Art Wednesday~ Encouraging/Uplifting Sentiment

Spring-Inspired Home Decor Item

Happy Wednesday, my dear friends! I hope you're having a lovely week. :o)

With the abundance of cold, snow, and ice, I thought it would be fun to make another Spring-inspired project to feature a few dies from the 7 Kids College Fund Store. (I apologize for the poor lighting! I had trouble properly capturing this one.)

While I've made several projects with Spellbinders bases, this is my first time using a Marianne Design die for that purpose. Anja's Vintage Decoration worked beautifully! Because the die is open-ended, I was able to make the base my preferred width. The embossed areas are sponged with Victorian Velvet distress ink to bring out their beauty. I adorned the base with a few pearls.

The rose basket is a Marianne Design die (CR1206), which I've threaded with American Crafts ribbon and accented with pearls. I used a couple of Memory Box dies in my basket: the tallest flowers are lovely Fairy Flower Drops, which are adhered to Small Olive Branches. I do wish I hadn't glued them down flat... I'm not sure what I was thinking! For varying layers and texture, I incorporated Wild Orchid Crafts sweetheart blossoms (trimmed in Victorian Velvet) and played with some Flower Soft. 

The beautiful My Craft Spot sentiment is from the NEW Simply Sentiments stamp set. The gorgeous papers are from a Susan Winget K and Company collection and the church-window lace is from The Ribbon Girl. This currently stands on a shelf, but can easily be turned into a wall hanging or simply framed, as desired. :o)

A week remains in our current Anything Goes challenge at the 7 Kids Challenge Blog, so I hope you'll join us! We love seeing your creations. :o) Have a blessed day!

Products from 7 Kids College Fund Store:

Marianne Design: Anja's Vintage Decoration

Memory Box: Fairy Flower Drops

Memory Box: Small Olive Branch

Tim Holtz Distress Ink: Victorian Velvet

Challenges entered:

 *613 Avenue Create~ Anything Goes

 *Crafting from the Heart~ Anything Goes (Optional: Use Dies or Punches)

 *Created With Love~ Think Spring

 *Creative Fingers~ Anything Goes

 *Cupcake Inspirations~ Photo Inspiration (Pistachio, White, Rose)

 *Make It Monday~ Anything Goes

 *One Stitch at a Time~ Anything Goes

 *Papertake Weekly~ Anything Goes

 *Pile It On~ Sweet/Soft or Bold/Bright

 *Through the Craft Room Door~ Anything Goes

WINNER from My Craft Spot Blog Hop!!!

Happy Monday! Thank you for all of the lovely comments on my blog hop project! I appreciate each one. :o) What an incredible stamp release party! :o)

I'm happy to announce that the random winner of My Craft Spot's NEW Jar Full of Flowers stamp set is... SHARON!

Congratulations, Sharon! I know you are going to LOVE this stamp set as much as I do. :o) Please email me your contact information so I can arrange to have your prize mailed to you! My addy is under the Contact Me tab. :o)

Have a blessed day, everyone! :o)

My Craft Spot Stamp Release Blog Hop!

Welcome to the My Craft Spot Stamp Release Blog Hop! We've been celebrating all week and today is the big day! Kimberly's entire new release is revealed and available for purchase at the gorgeous My Craft Spot Shop! :o) You can see all of her new goodies at the end of my post!

Every DT member has one of the new stamp or metal die sets to give away, so be sure to comment along the way. You should have arrived here from the sweet and talented Heather! The hop order is listed below in case you get lost along the way. :o)

For my project, I created a 3D gate flower basket for my mom! I was inspired by Kimberly's new encouraging sentiments and springtime images. :o)

The journey to this creation began with the beautiful sentiment from the NEW Jar Full of Flowers stamp set! Like many, my mom is eager for this harsh winter to end so I made her a springy bouquet that will never fade. :o) 

I cut out the sentiment as a banner and wrapped it around a Wild Orchid Crafts crown pearl stick pin, like the little greetings that are stuck inside real flower arrangements. The box cut file was filled with a foam block from JoAnns floral department and then I played florist with Wild Orchid Crafts flowers and pearl sprays. I wrapped MCS Petal Pink crinkle ribbon around the box and centered a double-bow with a WOC scalloped pearl.

One of our favorite things is when butterflies frolic around flowers, so I used the gorgeous butterflies from the Jar Full of Flowers stamp set! They are colored with Copics, layered, and sporadically placed around the bouquet and gate.

Two sunshiny yellow butterflies surround one of the lovely messages from the NEW Simply Sentiments stamp set. It rests atop an elegant doily from the NEW Tiny Doilies 2 metal die set. I love the delicacy of these doilies! :o)

The gate basket cut file is surrounded with portions of a Memory Box Spring Border. This project was such a joy to create. It's exciting to see inspiration blossom from Kimberly's products. :o)

Hasn't this week of sneak peeks been fun?! Here are the FULL new stamp and metal die sets!

Scrapping Life Cards Metal Dies

Tiny Doilies 2 Metal Dies

Big Words Metal Dies

A truly spectacular release, which I've had an AMAZING time creating with this week! I love each set and know you will, too! :o) 

I'm so excited that Kimberly has provided a JAR FULL OF FLOWERS stamp set for me to give away to one lucky winner who comments on this post! :o) I will draw and announce the winner on Monday morning! Thank you for your playing along with us all week!

Your next stop on the hop is the incredibly talented Ally! (And here's the complete hop in case you need it!)

Kimberly

Gwen

Robin

Heather

Karen (You are HERE!)

Ally

Sherrie

Kate

Tanya

Have a blessed weekend, everyone! :o)

Challenges entered:
 *Creative Fingers~ Anything Goes
 *Little Miss Muffet~ Anything Goes
 *Make It Monday~ Anything Goes
 *Through the Craft Room Door~ Anything Goes
 *Totally Papercrafts~ Make It Shine
 *Word Art Wednesday~ Encouraging/Uplifting Sentiment