Shake It On at My Craft Spot!

Happy Monday, my sweet friends! I hope everyone had a beautifully blessed Easter! :o)

Today starts a new challenge at My Craft Spot! This week we have an especially fun one for you: Shake It On! There are tons of options and I ended up shaking three different elements onto my card: Embossing powder, flower soft, and glamour dust!

This card is another contribution to this month's I Feel the Love Project. We are crafting for children that are abused, neglected, or at-risk, as well as the loving staff who cares for them at Tennyson Center for Children.

For this card, inspiration runs deep. This tiny dancer is gazing upward to her blossoming future... unfurling in the most beautiful way.

The precious dancer is Lil Ballerina, a digital stamp by Mo Manning. After coloring her with Copics, I used a tiny flourish from MCS' Tiny Tags 2 set to stamp her a frame. Not just a regular frame, of course... but ribbons of love. Her sweet little bun is sprinkled with flower soft and her tutu is covered in Glamour Dust, making it super sparkly in person.

My dream dance studio is lined with ornately designed arched windows, which was the inspiration for the sentiment base. I tucked in half of a doily from the Tiny Doilies 2 metal die set, making it a pretty arch adorned with pearls. My sentiment is from the Ornate Labels- Christmas stamp set. I need this brave and beautiful recipient to believe in the beauty that lies ahead of her. 

A tiny butterfly (cut from golden musical score paper) rests atop the rolled corner... a little encourager helping to direct the dancer's path. The flower arrangement is made of Wild Orchid Crafts flowers. I didn't have the proper shade of aqua, so I used a Copic marker to color the edges of a few white ones to match the image. A heart stick pin is nestled inside, anchored in love. The Copic-colored butterfly near the bottom is from the Jar Full of Flowers stamp set, sparklified and layered atop a whimsical pearly flourish.

My six-loop bow was made with Sky Blue crinkle ribbon. I had never made a six looper before but love how it resembled the tutu. :o) It rests atop gorgeous wide lace from The Ribbon Girl, lined with a flat-back pearl strand.

The butterfly border fluttering atop the card is from Joy Crafts, which I really wish showed up better here. I colored the centers with Copics and sprinkled them with Glamour Dust. The WOC silver metal filigree corner was heat-embossed white.

The papers are from Kaisercraft's Enchanted Garden. I love the soft colors and dreamy designs.

I do not know who will receive this card, but I do know that they will receive an abundance of my and God's love. Initially, the driving inspiration was a child or teen who needs to be immersed in healing love and light. One who needs to believe again... or maybe believe for the first time. But during one of the many moments I struggled while making this, I realized it could be destined for a staff member. A caregiver battling to deal with the horrid reality of innocent children being abused. Sometimes it is the adult who needs a reminder to believe in the future of the (temporarily) shattered child that has come into her life. 

Be sure to check out the creations from my amazing DT sisters at My Craft Spot! I hope you'll play along with us this week... I look forward to seeing your inspiring creations! Have a beautiful day of love and sunshine. :o)

Challenges entered:

 *613 Avenue Create~ Anything Goes (Optional: Candy Treats)

 *Craft Your Passion~ Pretty Pastels

 *Craft-Room Challenge~ Dance

 *Crafting for All Seasons~ Ribbons and Lace

 *Crafting From the Heart~ Anything Goes

 *Crafty Catz~ B is for... (Ballet, butterflies, blue, bow, blooms)

 *Crafty Ribbons~ Anything Goes with Ribbon

 *Creative Fingers~ Anything Goes

 *DL.Art~ April Linky Party

 *Fussy and Fancy~ Pearls and Lace

 *Lia Stampz~ Pastels

 *One Stitch at a Time~ Favorite Things (Ballet, butterflies, doilies, ribbon, flowers, sparkle)

 *Sweet Stampin'~ Lots of Layers

 *Through the Purple Haze~ Creativity Strikes!

 *Word Art Wednesday~ Uplifting/Encouraging sentiment

Birthday Puppy!

Happy Saturday, everyone! I'm quickly sharing a birthday card at My Craft Spot and also with you! I pray everyone has a blessed Easter tomorrow. :o)

While not an Easter project, it is actually a perfect time to share this! It is made to bring love, light, and hope to a child suffering far more than he ever should. Whimsically designed, yet filled with healing divine light. This is part of my contribution for this month's I Feel the Love Project, where we are creating for abused, neglected, and at-risk children... as well as the staff who lovingly care for them at Tennyson Center for Children.

What little boy doesn't love a sweet puppy, right? :o)

This cutie pie is a cut file from KaDoodle Bug Designs, titled Time to Celebrate Dog. I used bright and cheerful papers from Doodlebug Designs, surrounding the pup with a paw print frame from the Silhouette Online Store. I wanted it to be like he was frolicking through the adorable tree-filled park. :o) I slightly altered the frame so there was less white space on the outskirts of the paw prints.

I love the circular sentiments Kimberly offers and Stamping All Around Spring is one of my favorites! I paired the fun birthday greeting with one of the gorgeous metal dies from Tiny Doilies 2. For a final festive touch, I topped the puppy's party hat with a pom made from Maraschino twine. I resisted the urge to add a plethora of sparkles since this is for a little boy, but I did sneak in some sparkling Core Couture paper for the paw prints and twinkling eyes. :o) 

Nestled beneath the celebratory doggie bone are five little hearts, cut out with the versatile Scrapping Life Cards Metal Dies. It's fun finding places to tuck a little extra love within projects. :o)

A peek at the colorful interior and the dimension on the front created with foam tape:

Thank you for visiting and have a blessed and Happy Easter! :o)

Challenges entered:

 *Craftin Desert Divas~ Color Inspiration

 *Crafting From the Heart~ Anything Goes

 *Crafty Catz~ B is for... (Birthday, Boy, Bone, Bunnies, Blue, Black)

 *Creative Fingers~ Anything Goes

 *Cut It Up~ Birthday Card

 *Dragonfly Dreams~ Make it for the Boys

 *Simon Wednesday Challenge~ Animal Antics

A Bit of Stenciling and Stamping Fun!

Happy Wednesday, my dear friends! I hope you're having a wonderful week! I have a little project to share today featuring some lovely goodies from 7 Kids College Fund. :o)

I recently have become interested in stencils and previously shared how excited I was that Memory Box came out with them this year! I have much bigger visions for this crafty technique, but today I have a simple encouragement tag to coordinate with a non-stenciled card I will soon be making. Another dabble! :o)

I love honey comb patterns, so this Memory Box Honey Comb Stencil was a must-have for me! I began by cutting out my tag with a delightful design from the NEW Wild Rose Studio Peach Blossom Paper Pad. (There are lovely patterns in that collection!) I chose a soft peach to coordinate with the warm summery tones I knew I'd be using.

After using washi tape to secure the stencil over the tag, I blended in warm shades of Tim Holtz Distress Inks: Scattered Straw, Dried Marigold, and Spiced Marmalade. The primary portion of my nature scene is from my favorite nature silhouette stamp: Crafty Individuals Wild Flowers and Butterflies.

The remaining stamping is with My Craft Spot products. The encouraging sentiment is from the beautiful Simply Sentiments stamp set. The butterfly fluttering beside it is from Jar Full of Flowers, while her sprightly flourish is from Tiny Tags 2. I finished it off with Snow White crinkle ribbon, a Wild Orchid Crafts sweetheart blossom, and three tiny sparkles.

An angled view to show the beautiful clear shimmer I added to the stamping, courtesy of the amazing Clear Wink of Stella Glitter Brush:

Products from the 7 Kids College Fund Store:

Wild Rose Studio: Peach Blossom Paper Pad

Memory Box: Honey Comb Stencil

Crafty Individuals: Wild Flowers and Butterflies Stamp

Wink of Stella Glitter Brush: Clear

Tim Holtz Distress Ink: Dried Marigold

Tim Holtz Distress Ink: Scattered Straw

Tim Holtz Distress Ink: Spiced Marmalade

Ranger: Ink Blending Tool

Memento Tuxedo Black Ink Pad

Thank you for visiting! Have a blessed day! :o)

Challenges entered:

 *613 Avenue Create~ Anything Goes (Optional: Reuse/Recycle)

 *Crafting From the Heart~ Anything Goes

 *Creative Fingers~ Anything Goes

 *DL.Art~ April Linky Party

 *Suzy Bee's Bloomin' Challenge~ Anything Goes

 *Through the Craft Room Door~ Anything Goes

 *Word Art Wednesday~ Encouraging/Uplifting Sentiment

Anything Goes at 7 Kids College Fund!

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

Today begins a new Anything Goes challenge at the 7 Kids Challenge Blog! Although the challenge is Anything Goes for participants, the Design Team added a twist for our inspiration! We are showcasing some of our favorite products from January's Winter CHA. How fun!

One product that stood out to me is a gorgeous flower die from Memory Box. I thought it would be lovely for one of the recipients of this month's I Feel the Love Project. We are creating for children who are abused, neglected, and at-risk. Along with that, we are making cards for staff members at the non-profit who works with these children.

The caregivers have challenging days and need encouragement too, so that was my inspiration for this card.

The flower die is large and beautiful! I cut out the Delightful Peony Background with white paper and inked it up with varying shades of Tim Holtz Distress Ink to make it warm and sunshiny. The Delightful Peony Outline was cut out in a soft green, as white was a little too glaring for this card's color palette.

I layered my flower on one of my favorite combination of Spellbinders dies: Labels 18 and Floral Ovals, which are popped up with foam tape for dimension. One is embossed with my new Lifestyle Crafts Sprig embossing folder, while the other is accented with rhinestones. This truly is one of the most lovely flower dies I've used and I'm anxious to use it again soon. (Maybe with pretty pink inks?!) Although tonal and a little difficult to see, the corner decoration beneath the Cheery Lynn Designs butterfly is a Marianne Design Petra's Corners die.

My papers are from the Heartfelt Creations Sun Kissed collection. Their beauty has saved me a lot in recent weeks! Their designs stand so gorgeously on their own. There was a LOT more I wanted to do with this card, but I was just too sick. In fact, this is probably the simplest card I've ever made. It served as a reminder that what matters is the love with which it was made. I pray it brings hope and joy to its special recipient.

You have two weeks to play along with us, so link up your inspiring creations at the 7 Kids Challenge Blog! We look forward to seeing your work. :o) Have a blessed day!

Products from the 7 Kids College Fund Store:

Memory Box: Delightful Peony Background

Memory Box: Delightful Peony Outline

Marianne Design: Petra's Corners

Spellbinders: Floral Ovals

Spellbinders: Labels 18

Tim Holtz Distress Ink: Dried Marigold

Tim Holtz Distress Ink: Forest Moss

Tim Holtz Distress Ink: Scattered Straw

TIm Holtz Distress Ink: Spiced Marmalade

Challenges entered:

 *613 Avenue Create~ Anything Goes (Optional: Spring)

 *Crafting for All Seasons~ Dies and Punches (Flower, base, large butterfly dies; mini butterfly punch)

 *Crafty Catz~ Springtime

 *Creative Card Crew~ Spring

 *DL.Art~ April Linky Party

 *FAN-Tastic Tuesday~ Anything Goes

 *One Stitch at a Time~ Flowers

 *Papertake Weekly~ Spring Has Sprung

 *Pile It On~ Feminine

 *Through the Craft Room Door~ Anything Goes

Cute as a Bunny!

Hello, my sweet friends! I'm happy to be posting on the My Craft Spot blog today. :o)

For my project, I made a bright and cheerful card for a very special child. This month the I Feel the Love Project is spreading love and sunshine to children who are abused, neglected, and at-risk. Our contributions are being sent to a fabulous nonprofit center (Tennyson Center for Children) who works with such children. IFTL is collecting birthday cards for the kids, as well as general encouraging/cheerful cards for moments when a child or staff member is having a difficult day. What a privilege to create for such a cause.

Driven by the desire to give any (and every) reason for one of the children to smile, I made a sweet little scene filled with bright colors and designs. :o)

Many of these elements are typically "Easter" in theme, but my purpose in using them is just for general sweetness. Should it be viewed as Easter, that would be fine... it would show the recipient that I was thinking of them during this festive time. :o) It's not rare for me to get emotional during IFTL work and that proved the case with this one. It's nearly unbearable to think of children being harmed, so I tried to channel that heartache into making the happiest card possible.

The adorable duckie in the egg cut file is from the Easter Quacks collection from Treasure Box Designs. I used a sweet sentiment from My Craft Spot's Stamping All Around Spring 2 as part of the egg design, which I've cut out with the coordinating Tiny Doilies metal dies. The adorable Carrot House cut file is from Little Scraps of Heaven, to which I've added MCS Candied Orange crinkle ribbon and Honeydew twine. I made my sun with dies from the Lacy Banners set. The card base shape is from the Silhouette Online store.

I couldn't resist using that adorable bunny paper for the window of my carrot house! Those rambunctious sweethearts are having all sorts of fun inside! Instead of using regular orange for the house, I used adorable carrot paper. All SEVEN of the patterned papers I used on this card are from Doodlebug's Hello Spring collection. I am excited to have it for kiddo cards.

The sentiment along the bottom is from the Big Sentiments 2 stamp set... I wanted to be sure the child knows that I'm sending him/her so many happy thoughts. There is tons of dimension which a side view would have nicely shown, but I was in a rush. I pray it brings the most beautiful smile to a hurting child's heart. It is filled with my and God's love and I have faith that it will serve as the warm embrace I wish I could give.

Thank you for hopping on by! I wish you a beautiful day of love and chocolate. :o)

Challenges entered:
 *613 Avenue Create~ Anything Goes (Optional: Spring)
 *Crafting From the Heart~ Anything Goes (Optional: Easter)
 *Crafty Catz~ Springtime
 *Crafty Ribbons~ Anything Goes with Ribbon
 *Creative Fingers~ Anything Goes
 *DL.Art~ April Linky Party
 *Love to Create~ Anything Goes for Kids
 *One Stitch at a Time~ Flowers
 *Really Reasonable Ribbon~ Flowers or Buttons and Bows
 *Suzy Bee's Bloomin' Challenge~ Anything Goes

Happy Easter at My Craft Spot!

Happy Monday, my sweet friends! I hope you had a blessed weekend. :o)

Somehow Easter is only a couple of weeks away! Our challenge this week at My Craft Spot is Happy Easter, so I hope you'll prepare for this beautiful holiday with us. :o)

I made an Easter card for my family. :o)

Purple again... I know! ;) Just like my Easter box last week, I reached for my beloved Graphic 45 Sweet Sentiments paper collection for this creation. These are my other favorites in the stack, which I've been anxious to use. 

The pretty sugar egg is a cut file from the Silhouette Online Store. Isn't it sweet?

Instead of using the little eggs in the cut file, I used the precious speckled egglets from My Craft Spot's Stamping All Around Spring 2 set. I stamped them in varying shades of pearlescent Dew Drop Brilliance ink and nestled the sweetheart within them. My sentiment is from Tiny Tags 2, which I've cut out with the coordinating Tiny Tags Metal Dies. It is between pretty layers of buttercup crinkle ribbon and a white rose from Wild Orchid Crafts. I made two tiny flourishes with Recollections pearls to mimic the bow.

For extra texture, I added ruffly lace and topped it with tiny pom pom trim to coordinate with the detailing in the egg cut file.

You have an entire week to link up your Easter projects, so I hope you'll play along! I look forward to seeing your inspiring work. :o) Be sure to hop on over to My Craft Spot to see the lovely contributions from my teamies! Thank you for visiting and I wish you a sparkly day! :o)

Challenges entered:

 *613 Avenue Create~ Anything Goes (Optional: Spring!)

 *Card Mania~ Easter

 *Crafting From the Heart~ Anything Goes (Optional: Easter)

 *Created With Love~ Easter

 *Creative Fingers~ Anything Goes

 *Cut It Up~ Easter

 *One Stitch at a Time~ Flowers

 *Pile It On~ Feminine 

 *Sparkles Monthly~ Easter Parade

 *Totally Papercrafts~ Pastels

Easter Box!

Happy Wednesday, sweet friends! A sparkly welcome to my new friends and followers! I'm so happy you're here. :o)

Today I'm featuring a product from one of my favorite lines carried by 7 Kids College Fund: Graphic 45's Sweet Sentiments Paper Collection! One way I love to showcase beautiful papers is to make pretty boxes. With Easter coming up, I chose to create a box that will hold an Eastery surprise inside.

As with all Graphic 45 paper pads, this one is filled with such lovely designs. This particular design in it, titled Violet Bouquet, is one of my favorites! The gingham pattern is the reverse side. They make such a sweet and stunning combination, don't they? :o)

My box is a Lori Whitlock cut file, purchased from the Silhouette Online Store. I didn't want to use the plain window shape included, so I swapped it out with the opening in a StudioIlustrado box file.

The banner sentiment is also from the paper pad, which I cut out and lightly inked. (The polka dot paper is the only one not from this set... it is DCWV.) With paper so naturally beautiful, I opted to let it shine. I simply adorned the bottom with a touch of elegance, courtesy of lace and a pearl strand from The Ribbon Girl. 

 

Climbing roses accent the front, where I used Cheery Lynn Designs' Mini Fanciful Flourish for my vines. The top features a tiny bouquet atop some vintage seam binding tied in a large double bow. My Wild Orchid Crafts assortment consists of lilies, open roses, cottage roses, sweetheart blossoms, and cherry blossoms. All are accented with Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Brush. A few pearl sprays are tucked in to coordinate with the other box detailing. 

Butterflies often find their way onto my projects in some form and this one was no exception! This beauty is my favorite Cheery Lynn butterfly, which is from the Small Exotic Butterflies 2 collection. I gave it a dark purple shadow layer and centered it with a sweet rose. :o)

Thank you for fluttering on by! I wish you a day of sparkles and sunshine. :o)

Products from the 7 Kids College Fund Store:

Graphic 45: Sweet Sentiments 8x8 Paper Pad

Tim Holtz Distress Ink: Dusty Concord

Tim Holtz Distress Ink: Walnut Stain

Wink of Stella Clear

Zip Dry Paper Glue

Challenges entered:

 *613 Avenue Create~ Anything Goes (Optional: Color Challenge)

 *Cheery Lynn Designs~ Back to Nature

 *Craftin' Desert Divas~ Linky Party (Anything Goes)

 *Crafting From the Heart~ Anything Goes 

 *Crafting With Dragonflies~ Easter

 *Creative Fingers~ Anything Goes

 *DL.Art~ April Linky Party (Anything Goes)

 *My Sheri Crafts~ Easter: Anything but a Card

 *One Stitch at a Time~ Anything Goes

 *Pile It On~ Floral Fantasy

 *Really Reasonable Ribbon~ Flowers or Buttons and Bows (my double bow is on top as a ruffly base for my bouquet)

 *Through the Craft Room Door~ Anything Goes