Wednesday, February 29, 2012

FBW #192 - Open Challenge w/ SCACD

Hello everyone!


Today we have a brand new challenge at Flutterby Wednesday.  It's an open challenge and we have a terrific sponsor, SCACD (Susana's Custom Art and Card Design).  For all the details on what you will be in the running for and links to the DT blogs, head on over to the Flutterby Wednesday blog.  Each of the DT received an amazing stamp from Danni plus a card showcasing their stamp.  I don't think any of us know what the others received so it will be a real treat for everyone, including me, to see what my fellow DT buds create.  I decided to use the beautiful card Danni sent me as my inspiration. 

If the shoe fits card created by Danni Bindel
Isn't this beautiful?  I think so.  The colors are terrific and her coloring is gorgeous.  I always love her layouts and the papers she uses.  I'm so stoked I have a Danni original!!  This image is called, "If the shoe fits," illustrated by Victoria Case for SCACD.  Love the fairy's expression when the perfect shoe is found.  I went for a similar layout and changed up a few things because I made some boo-boos.  But it's always nice when that happens because then you create something that might turn out better than the original.


Here's my take on Danni's card.  I thought her being a fairy she'd enjoy and maybe rock pink hair.  I was right.  (lol)  I went with a pink and black color scheme.  As much as I loved the details on her skirt, I went the lazy way and colored it all black.  The b&w dp is from Making Memories and the pink is from Recollections and they were all matted with black cs (Recollections)


The fun part was trying to color the shell/chair.  I wanted to add a pearl like tone to it so after coloring it in I used some pearl pen and my finger to spread it around.  IRL you can see a pearly sheen, but here not so much.  I did add some sparkle to her shoes and wings.  The sentiment was handwritten.  I guess it's every woman's dream to have that perfect fit.  Right ladies?! :)


Well I hope you all get a chance to play, and remember to include a fairy, butterfly or angel to your card to be in the running for the prize then directly link up with us at the Flutterby Wednesday blog.  Mahalo for stopping by today, have a great 1/2 way to Friday day and Happy Leap Year!

Hugs,
Leanne

Supplies not listed above:
Black tuxedo ink (Memento), MS butterfly & border punches
Copics & Stickles:




Friday, February 24, 2012

Lilo's Fun Friday #18

Happy Friday everyone!!  Woo Hoo!!  It's been one of those kinda blah weeks for me, but the weekend is lookin' up.  Can't wait to get home from work today to start the relaxing.  What do you have planned for this weekend?  I know I'll get some crafting in with my buddy Renate and hopefully catch some zzzzs in there some where.  :)

This should be a fairly short one today because the card itself is definitely CAS.  It might not look it but it really is.  (lol)  Made this card for a friend.  I hope she likes it and takes some inspiration from it.  Using Sister Stamp, Miyako, and 2 gorgeous Yuzen washi paper from Hanko Designs here is my share for LFF #18, hope you like.

Ta-da!  This doesn't look like it, but I only used the washi paper and Miyako here.  That paper is so dramatic and really pretty it really did not need anything other than a cute image.  I thought it would be fun to cut the top corner and used my new Fiskars border punch to add a fun accent.  The other washi paper is one I have used in the past, and it worked really well in the corner.  Colored Miyako to match the oranges and golds on the sakuras.  After fussy cutting her I popped her up with pop dots.  No sentiment this time, thought this could be used for any occasion.


Well that's all for me today. 

Just a quick note on some new release news I saw around blogland:
  1. New release previews for Sister Stamps #6 started yesterday so make sure to "hop" on over to the Sister Stamp blog and read how you can win some really cute images. 
  2. The Greeting Farm blog is also showcasing a new line today, so make sure to head on over, who knows you might get lucky and win some cuteness.
Alrighty, time for me to sign off.  Mahalo for stopping by and for your lovely comments.  Have a terrific weekend!!!

Hugs,
Lilo

Supplies not listed above:
Black Tsumugi cs (Hanko Designs)
Copics:

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Surprise!

Hello again, yes again, this is my second post for today.  Please scroll down to see my previous post.  Thank you!

Today, the Lollipop Crafts DT is wishing a very special birthday to captain of the A-Team, Alanna
Happy Birthday Alanna.  Hoping today is fun and fabulous for you!! :)

Please visit the Lollipop Crafts blog for the birthday wishes being sent to Alanna and also stop by her blog and leave her some birthday love.  Although this is not a birthday card it does have a bright celebration feel to it.  I used bright colors primary colors and the card itself was something that I made when I first started making cards some few odd years ago.  It was super easy to pick an image, color it, cut it out and plop it on top of the card.  Love when that happens.  hehehe. 


Who better to be plopped down on to this bright fun card than WS Summer from the Roll Call kit by The Greeting Farm?  I colored her with Copics, using similar colors to match the background.  I love her expression.  The stamps used on the background paper are from Stampin' Up, so I guess you can say I made my own pp.  I hand wrote the sentiment and added some fun dots to break up the white space.


Well thanks so much for stopping by again.  And don't forget to stop by Alanna's blog to wish her a Happy Birthday.  And you still have time to enter this week's Anything Goes challenge, we already have 173 links!!  Woo hoo, knew you all would love this challenge.  If you're still working on your card here is where you can link up your card.  No sponsor this week, but you have a chance to be chosen in our top 3, plus you get to submit more than one card.   


Challenges:
Monday-Funday #21 - Show your primary colors

Mahalo for stopping by again!  Enjoy your day!!
Hugs,
Leanne






Friday Spy Day challenge

Hey everyone!
I've been quiet on the commenting again, but slowly getting around to catching up.  I want to say thank YOU for taking the time to stop and leave me lovely messages.  They definitely make me smile and keep me in high spirits.

I haven't been playing in too many challenges lately, but when I saw the Friday Spy-day pick from the Farm Fresh Challenge blog I decided, hey let's play!  So I did.  Here is the awesome picked image:


And here is my interpretation using Sunday from the Creeper Crew.


Pretty CAS yea?  I have been loving the blues lately and want to keep using colors that I haven't used for some time.  Just like stamps our markers need love too. lol.  So here I used greens, blues, kraft and white.  I hand wrote the sentiment : You're way COOL!  I enjoyed finishing this one, especially coloring him up.  I hope you like it too.


Alrighty, you still have some time to play in the Friday-Spy day challenge over at the FFC blog.  Whatcha waiting for?  Have a terrrific Thursday my friends!

Hugs,
Leanne

Supplies not listed above: 
Dots stamp (Stamps by Judith); white cs (Neenah solar white), blue cs (Bazzil), kraft (Recollections) green (MME), twine, button;  Spellbinders lacey circles, regular circles.  Tuxedo black ink (Memento).
Copics:




Wednesday, February 22, 2012

FBW #191 Photo inspiration

Morning everyone!!  Please excuse the lateness of this post!!  

Another Wednesday is here and man is February going by too fast or what?!!  Well hopefully we can slow it down with a new challenge at Flutterby Wednesday.  We hope ya'll enjoyed last week's A.W.W. (Anything with wings) challenge.   It was really fun to see what ya'll came up with.  This week we are back to normal with our angel, fairy or butterfly incorporated into this week's challenge.  I'm pretty sure it's one that you will like.  Danni asked the DT to use this beautiful photo to inspire our creative juices .


Isn't this gorgeous?!  And sooo PINK!!  hahaha.. I'm sure some of you are in ga-ga heaven that it's so pink, but there are other colors and inspiration here, right?!  lol..   Be sure to check out my fellow awesome teammates inspirations by using the side bar on the left under the Flutterby Team banner, or you can head on over to the Flutterby Wednesday blog and link from there. 

Here is what I came up with using a few of the newest C.C. Design images and a new AmyR sentiment that I got via All That Scraps.  These can all be found here in the February 2012 release.  The first of the images is Swiss Pixie Lucy, she's sitting on top of a Swiss Pixie Woodland daisy.  The sentiment is from the Be Happy sentiment set.


Pretty CAS, leaving the images as the main focus of the card.  I used a MS flower border punch to add on the opening.  Also used a MS butterfly punch (with kraft cs (Recollections)).  The dp is part of an old G.C.D. Studio paper pad collection called Rose Colored Glasses.  I used a white pencil to outline the butterfly.  I substituted a sunflower for the original acorn that is in her hair.  Colored this with Copics.


Alrighty, I hope you like what I came up with and it inspires you as much and the photo.  Now it's your turn to create.  Please use the photo inspiration above, plus an angel, fairy or butterfly on your card for this week's challenge and link up with us here.   Lookin' foward to your projects this week.  Have fun with it!!

Mahalo for stopping by!!  Enjoy the rest of your week!

Before I forget, please use the Panda Express coupon located on the top left of my side bar today for a free serving of our newest shrimp dish, Peppercorn Shrimp.  It's pretty good and a wok smart item.
Hugs,
Leanne

Supplies not listed above:
White cs (Neenah Solar Crest), Tuxedo black ink (Memento)
Copics:

Monday, February 20, 2012

Lollipop Crafts #68 - Anything Goes

Happy Monday everyone!
Hope you all had a terrific weekend!  Today is a start of another challenge at Lollipop Crafts.  It's an anything goes but we don't have a sponsor so hoping you will play along anyways.  For some wonderful inspiration from our DT head on over to the Lollipop blog.

For my ATG card, I created a card using some fun girls from The Greeting Farm.  Miss Anya Lounge girls to be exact.  I masked one and stamped the other two slightly behind her. 



I went simple with the layout and colors.  Been wanting to use that dp for quite some time and it was a nice bit of color & sparkle to add here.  The sentiment is from the Creepin' kit which I stamped on to a Spellbinder banner.  The only embellishments I used were a strip of ribbon and the MS butterflies flitting on my card. 


I had fun coloring the different hair & skin tones.  Using only two colors on their clothes was pretty fun too.  This is a really fun set to play around with, I think I'll try to use it more.


Alrighty friends, hope you can play along with us this week.  Remember to upload your direct link to your card/project to today's post on the Lollipop Crafts blog, it's challenge #68.  Mahalo for stopping by, have a terrific week!!

Hugs,
Leanne

Supplies not listed above:
White cs - Recollections & Neenah solar crest, Fiskars border & corner rounder punch, Cream pearls -Viva decor pen.  DP & Copics listed below.

Friday, February 17, 2012

Lilo's Fun Friday #17

Happy Aloha Friday everyone!

Welcome to my new blogging buddies Norma, Tan, & Carol!  It's so nice to have you here, I hope you get inspired.  ;)

Before I get to today's LFF #17, I wanted to say Arigato to Nadine and Thanh for linking up.  Although Nadine didn't want the stamp (she was the guest designer for Sister Stamps so she already had Miyako) I was so happy that she linked up.  That means the winner of the Miyako stamp is Thanh!!  Woo Hoo!!  Thanh be sure to email me your snail mail address so I can get Miyako out to you.  Here is what she had to say about the Sister Stamps line:
"I would love to win a Sister Stamp because I've been so excited to see some Asian stamps that really represent the Chinese/Asian culture. I love the lion dance ones and the fans and lanterns. Even their eyes are perfect. ;) I have had to hold off because of Christmas presents, but look forward to putting in an order soon. Thanks for the chance to win. :D "
It's so true what she said.  I whole heartedly agree.  Now here is my share for this week.  I have been wanting to use some of my neglected Copic colors.  Especially the blues.  I had a fun time with the FBW #190, Anything with Wings challenge post so I thought I would make another one using one of my creative friend's handmade dragonflies and cute little Kiyomi from Sister Stamps.


Here is a very simple design that doesn't really need a lot for it to work.  The card is actually 4x4, I just enlarged it a bit so you can see the details.  I replaced the butterfly that comes with Kiyomi with the dragonfly.  The dragonfly in orange really gives this a pretty amazing feel especially because it's so much bigger than Kiyomi. Sorta looks like she's in the distance and reaching to pet it. 

Dragonfly created by Sesame Bijoux

 The dragonfly is sitting on a (Tim Holtz) mini paper rosette.  The rest of the card is dark blue cs (Recollections) layered with an origami paper (Aitoh) and the frame to match. 

Kiyomi is colored with Copics (list below) and I kept it simple by leaving her band white as well as her collar.  I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, keeping the focus on Kiyomi and her new dragonfly friend.


 If you are interested in my friend's, Jenny Chen, handmade dragonflies or handmade jewelry please visit her Etsy store, Sesame Bijoux.  And if you are interested in buying any of the Sister Stamps visit the Sister Stamps blog for a list of vendors on their side bar.

Well that's it for me today.  Mahalo everyone for stopping by in your busy schedule and for all the lovely comments.  Hope you have a fantastik weekend and for those of us with a 3-day holiday... woo hoo!!  Enjoy it!!

Hugs,
Lilo

Supplies not listed above:
White cs (Xpress It); Memento tuxedo black ink (Tsukineko)
Copics:

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

FBW #190 - Anything with wings

Hello!

I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day yesterday. 

Are you ready for a new challenge?  Well come on over to the Flutterby Wednesday challenge blog and join us for a one time only twist.  This week and ONLY THIS WEEK you will be able to use ANYTHING WITH WINGS on your card.  Yep that means anything.  Check out the FBW DT makes by using the links on my (left) sidebar (under the Flutterby Wednesday banner).

I totally took advantage of the challenge to create a CAS card using something different but it does have wings.  (lol)


This images is from Fiskars clear stamp set Sweet Pea.  I have been wanting to do more CAS cards and this is as CAS as I can get.  I just couldn't stamp this on white cs, it was just too much white space for me.  But adding the clouds (used tumbled glass distress inks and a stencil) didn't take away too much from the CAS vibe. 


I stamped the image using Versafine black ink on to the cloud covered cs then inked it again with Memento tuxedo black on another piece of white cs.  Colored the propeller & banner with Copics, fussy cut them out and popped them up.  Inside the banner and card I hand wrote "Flying by to say... Hi." (inside).   And that's all she wrote.  (lol)


Can't wait to see what you create.  I'm sure there will be lots of new things with wings this week, but remember it's only for this week so please feel free to take advantage.  Mahalo for stopping by.  Have a great week!

Hugs,
Leanne

Supplies not listed above:

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

A lovely blog award from Shirl

I was thrilled to receive news that my blog got a Liebster Blog Award and from a really sweet and awe-mazing friend on Valentine's Day as a gift... Woo Hoo!!!

Here's the to-do list of any Liebster award recipient:

A short introduction about Liebster Blog Award: 'Liebster' is German for 'dearest'. The award is a 'share-the-love' arrangement, given to inspirational bloggers with less than 200 followers

  • Thank your Liebster Blog Award presenter on your blog
  • Link back to the blogger who presented the award to you.
  • Copy and paste the blog award on your blog.
  • Present the Liebster Blog Award to 5 blogs of 200 followers or less who you feel deserves to be noticed.
  • Let them know they have been chosen by leaving a comment at their blog
Mahalo to Shirl from Creations by Shirl.  Shirl is so creative and so sweet.  She is usually the first to post on my blog and leaves me some really lovely comments.  I only know her through blogland, but feel she is a sista @ heart.  She is an amazing crafter and is ALWAYS posting new images and sharing new sites.  I go to her blog every day just to see what she creates because I know it's something I will probably end up getting.  She's a wondeful inspiration and to receive this award from her is a wonderful honor. 
Big hugs to you Shirl, and Mahalo for this lovely award.

Here are some of my five favorite blogs (in no particular order) with less than 200 followers:
Bonnie
Karen
Kathy
Nadine
Mimi
Mahalo ladies for your inspiration and being really amazing blog buddies.  Please be sure to check out their blogs and leave them some love.  Maybe you will also become a follower/friend as well.
Enjoy your day and come back tomorrow for my FBW post.
Hugs,
Leanne

Happy Valentine's Day with some Happy Mail!!

Happy Tuesday and Happy Valentine's Day!!

You would think since I've been making so many Valentine's Day cards and projects that I would actually have one to share, right?  Wrong!  But don't fret because I do have something that I just received in the mail and it is definitely perfect to share on this Valentine's day.


It's from my Feb secret sister, Kim Yu.  She posted this beautiful card on her blog the other day and I fell in love with it.  Let's face it I love all of her creations.  She mentioned that it was for her secret sister and I left a message saying that her SS would love it. I was RIGHT! (lol)  She is amazingly talented and so crafty.  She is just one of a group of ladies I love to visit and see what she's been up to.  I take a lot of inspiration from her.  And on top of that, she is super sweet in person!

Here are several pictures of the happy mail I received from her.  (Be advised, there's quite a few pictures, but well worth the scrolling through.  :)

Oooo!!!  What is it?!

O my!!  Yay!! A custom made purse by Kim!  So pretty!!

It's gorgeous!! And totally made out of paper!!

Ack!!!  Yay!!!  Homemade goodies!!

Gorgeous handmade crotched flowers - So hoarding these!! (j/k)

Love these cute picture holders made out of clips

Oooo!!  Beautiful baubles, all custom made by Kim!

My very own Kim original
Now go ahead and drool!  (lol)

Sweet and not so simple tag. Love the yo-yo!

Gorgeous inside

Take a look!  Isn't this the prettiest card ever?
;)
And there you have it, my pretty amazing secret sister Valentine swap showcase that I wanted to share with all of you custom/handmade from the very talented and amazing Kim Yu.  Did you know she has her own Etsy store and sells all her divine handmade goodies?  Yes, check it out here.  I want to send a big Thank you to Kim Yu for the gorgeous RAK and card.  Your talent is amazing sista!  Would you like to participate in these secret sister swaps?  Well all you have to do is sign up with Kris HERE.  It's so fun to receive but also lovely to give and you get to meet so many new friends and reconnect with old ones.

Alrighty gotta get myself in gear for work.  I hope you all have a lovely Valentine's day.  Be back here tomorrow when I share my Flutterby Wednesday post.  It's a very new challenge and one I'm sure a lot of you will be excited about.  Let's just say it's all about wings... lol..   Have a good one and Mahalo for stopping by!!

Hugs,
Leanne

Monday, February 13, 2012

Hey you!

Hello!! 
Yes today is my second post, please scroll down to see my Lollipop Crafts challenge post.

As you are reading this, I should be celebrating Renate's birthday with her, Zach and a few of our close friends at Gyu-Kaku in Old Town Pasadena.  I made her a card using one of her favorite stamp lines, Gorjuss Girls.  I used Rose, who I purchased along with a few others, from All That Scraps.  The dp was from the same paper pad stack (DCWV - The Rustic stack).  I love this paper pad and have been waiting to cut into it.  This was the perfect occasion.  I used a sketch from my blogging friend, Kim Yu to help me bring some fun elements to the card.


I am really pleased with how it turned out.  I wanted to go with a warm color palette and I think I achieved it with the yellows, blues, browns and oranges and touches of white.  What do you think? 


I paper pieced her dress and did some fun affects to it.  Yes, I used a couple Copic markers to add the folds but if you look closely you might be able to see that I added dimension to the dress.  No?  Well here are a couple side views...

Where the folds are drawn in I used a hockey stick embossing tool
to create the folds on the paper to make the dress look and feel
more pronounced.

Here's a better angle.  See how the paper dips where the "folds"
lay?  I also layered it twice (only because I ripped the first one
while trying to work the paper)  because it gave it more
dimension and poof once I added the second layer.  :) 
Side view of the finished card

Here is a close up of the other side of the card.  Thought you'd like to see the details.  :)


I used several Spellbinder dies for this card.  Love how handy they are and how clean they can make a card look.  My first time making those circle flowers.  I used a couple SB circles and my hockey stick again.  Added a nice big half pearl to the center of each.  Love how it turned out.  I wonder if this is what is called shabby chic?  If so then it's my first time and I'm so pleased with the result.  woo hoo!  Alrighty, time for me to scoot.  Hopefully we are enjoying our meal and Renate is enjoying her birthday dinner.  :)


The Voice and Hawaii 5-O are on my lists to watch tonight.  Hoping to get home to watch at least H5O.  On a sad note, just wanted to say RIP Whitney Houston.  You are going to be missed, but never forgotten.

Challenges:
ATS Wednesday Challenges: Anything Goes

Hugs,
Leanne

Supplies not listed above:
White cs (Neenah solar crest, Xpress It); Light blue cs (Bazzil); Square/scalloped square & circle dies (Spellbinders); doily (Joann's); lace (May Arts scrap from CHA);  butterflies (MS punch); half pearls (Recollections)
Copics: