Inspired by a book

I have been reading "Z," which is about Zelda Fitzgerald, wife of F.Scott Fitzgerald. She was sort of the quintessential flapper, so I went looking for a flapper image.

The image is colored with pencils and mounted on a silver Nestabilities frame.  That really fascinating bit of tinselly ribbon is something I got on clearance at one of the big box craft stores a year or two ago when they were clearing out holiday merchandise. I love scouring the holiday sales for items that could work at any time of year.  I pulled some fibers off the ribbon and used it in the die-cut button, also made from metallic card stock.

I don't know of anyone running a "flapper image challenge," so this lady is going into several "anything goes" challenges, listed below:

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge, anything goes
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge, anything goes
Word Art Wednesday #104,  anything goes
Creative Inspirations Paints, anything goes
Tammy's Scrapping Corner #86, anything goes

Too late for Talk Like a Day

I needed a birthday card for my brother-in-law, so I decided to try injecting a little humor into the card. I used the Land HO set from The Alley Way Stamps, and the color scheme was inspired by The Alley Way Stamps Be Inspired Challenge #37.

To me, "arrgggh!" is a fun sentiment. And on the inside, a pirate completes the idea, shaking his fist and saying "another birthday," (which I computer-generated.)

The layout on both the inside and outside is CAS(e) this Sketch #46.

The images are colored with pencils and fussy cut.  The green paper has a nice shimmer to it.

This is also for Tammy's Scrapping Corner challenge #81, "Happy birthday."

Thinking towards Thanksgiving

Well, give me a taste of fall and my imagination runs wild. This week it ran all the way to Thanksgiving, so I made a Thanksgiving card.

The main image is on a piece of kraft cardstock. I was going to try a sepia technique (from the Technique Junkies Newsletter.  I saw a Christmas card using the technique at the Holly Jolly Christmas blog and I loved it), but I just couldn't make it look right. It's supposed to be mainly white highlighting, and I just wanted to add more color, so I went my own way and added color.  The center of the sunflower is covered with brown flocking, and I just love running my finger over it.  I'll probably wear the flocking off before sending the card out.

Details:
Stamps:  Mark's Finest Paper
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, SU Creamy Caramel (sponged on edge of main image)
Paper:  all from a very old stack, either ProvoCraft or DCWV
Accessories:  Flocking, colored pencils, OMS; ribbon

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Tammy's Scrapping Corner #80, Anything Goes
Challenges 4 Everybody #29, Anything Goes
365 Cards, Day 263, Garden Scene  (it's a fall garden scene)
Word Art Wednesday #98, Anything Goes

Sew fun

This pin cushion really takes me back. I remember my mother having one just like it.

I got this image as an RAK, and I decided to play up the sewing theme by adding stitching around the image and using a button as my embellishment.  The image is colored with pencils with silver gel pen on the pinheads. The button is die cut, and it was originally hot pink. I sponged red on it to make it fit the color scheme for this card. The adhesive lace also seemed like a "sewing" kind of detail, so I used a strip of it, too.

The layout is from Sketch Saturday, sketch 266.
This is also for Tammy's Scrapin Corner challenge #70, to use animals.

Flight Behavior

I just finished reading "Flight Behavior" by Barbara Kingsolver. It's fictional, but the action centers around the migratory habits of the Monarch butterfly, and I learned way more than I ever expected to about butterflies. (Kingsolver was trained as a biologist before she started writing novels.). Turns out butterflies are even more amazing when you actually know some science.

So, that brings me to today's card. Not Monarchs, obviously, as there's no orange or black in sight. Actually, they are ice cream colors, inspired by the current photo inspiration challenge at The Alley Way Stamps. And the current sketch at Sketch Saturday sort of mimicked a butterfly in flight, so that's why I've been
yakking away about "Flight Behavior."

This card is a clean and simple as it gets, thanks to my handy butterfly punch. I actually started out with a bigger flock of butterflies, but less turned out to be more in this case.  Sentiment is from The Alley Ways Stamps -- Delicate Doilies set.

I am entering this in these challenges:
The Alley Way Stamps Be Inspired #30
Sketch Saturday #263
Tammy's Scraping Corner #67, Anything with Wings.

Enjoy the ride

I love this image of a frog on a Vespa.  How cute is that?
The image is colored with pencils, and there's glitter pen on the chrome parts of the bike, as well as on the wings of the little bug hanging onto froggie for dear life.  (Like I said, how cute is that?)
All the images on this card are from Paper Cupcakes, which sadly closed up shop about a year ago. I did a guest designer stint with them, so I have several iamges and they are all quite cute.

I am entering this card in several challenges:
Feeling Sketchy -- sketch 62
Simon Says Stamp -- transportation (Vespa)
Victorine Originals #61 -- animal or insect (I have one of each)
Stamping for the Weekend -- Cute (we've established this is a cute image, right?)
Simply Create Too, #39 -- masculine card
Tammy's Scraping Corner #66 -- Masculine card

Masculine card

I made this masculine card as a father's day card.  I got the image as an RAK, and someone did a lot of work on it, because that image is repeatedly masked and stamped. I was happy to feature it prominently. But I can't tell you who made the image or what color ink it was stamped in (black or dark brown).

To enhance the masculinity of the card, I also created a faux leather background (I was a little sad so much of it got covered up -- I love the results of this technique.).  A row of eyelets seemed like a good way to embellish this -- they always seem masculine and vaguely Western looking,

I'm entering this card in several challenges:

Clear It Out Challenge:  Male card, use metal from stash (my metal is eyelets. I have a lifetime supply and am always happy to clear a few out of the stash).
Victorine Originals #60: Father's day/Masculine
Tammy's Scrapin Corner #65: Add texture (the faux leather is dry embossed)
Simon Says Stamp: Anything Goes
C.R.A.F.T Challenges #209: Father's Day/Masculine.