A Sketch with The Challenge!

Hi Everyone!

Welcome back to another challenge with The Challenge. This week is a wild card Monday, and Lesley has selected a sketch for us.  I love sketches!  I water colored a Skipping Stones Design butterfly from the Healing Wings Stamp Set.  Sentiment is from the Uplifting Stamp Set.

Here is your sketch~

I heat embossed the butterfly image in black ep, them watercolored the image with my Zig water color markers.  They worked beautifully in all the small spaces of the image.  The background is also watercolored, this time with Kuretake Gansai Tambi Watercolors.
Here is more inspiration from the rest of the team~

Anita Madden
Broni Holcombe
Claire Broadwater
Diane Jaquay
Jinny Newlin

Kim Heggins

Kimberly Wiener
Laurel Seabrook

Lori Tecler

Nance Salkeld

Nina Forsyth

Rachel Bergfeld

The possibilities are endless with this awesome sketch!  I can't wait to see how you interpret it!  You can link up your creation HERE. 
Thanks for stopping by!

Lee Ann :)  

Honey Bee Stamps Design Team 2016 Entry

A Collection of cards for Honey Bee Stamps Design Team entry~

My CAS card style~

Coloring~

Others/Technique Heavy~

Another SugarPea Designs Sketch!

Hello!
We are back with the final sketch of May at SugarPea Designs SugarSketch.  Here in St Louis, we are also in the home stretch- the final week of school!  Next week I will be in Arizona!
This week's sketch was truly a challenge for me, but I really like what I ended up with~

Yes, I think this image from the Twinkle Twinkle Stamp Set is sweet as can be.  I colored her with Copics and fussy cut her out from her window scene, creating my own star-filled window with squares of cs.  I added an extra layer to the background, using the largest of the flags from the Stitched Flags SugarCuts Dies.
There is lots more inspiration from the rest of the team~

Claire Broadwater
 Deanne Kay
Jeanne Jachna
Karren Johnson
Laura Jane 
Lee Ann Barrett

Lesley Croghan

Mackie Robertson
Kerin Sylvester

WE can't wait to see you in the gallery!  Remember, the more you play, the more chances you have to win!  See all of the details and rules HERE. 

I am linking up to this week's Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge- 'Anything Goes'

Thanks so much for visiting and have a blessed week!  

Lee Ann  :)  

Going Masculine with The Challenge

Hi Everyone!

The Challenge Design Team is back this week with lots of masculine inspiration for you.

Here is your inspiration photo~

This photo really speaks to me.  It is both organic and industrial.  And GREAT colors!  I had an NBUS stamp just waiting to be colored for this card.  This vintage Cadillac is from Prickly Pear Stamps.  The image is colored with Copics and mounted on a panel I made at a class from my lss at least 4 years ago- no kidding!  I know, pathetic!

And the rest of the Design Team with their fabulous inspiration~

Anita Madden
Broni Holcombe
Claire Broadwater
Diane Jaquay
Jinny Newlin

Kim Heggins

Kimberly Wiener

Lori Tecler

Nance Salkeld

Nina Forsyth

Rachel Bergfeld

Can't  wait to see what you create!  You can link up your card HERE at The Challenge!  

I am linking up to AAA Cards Birthday Bash Challenge

And Seize the Birthday-

And The Male Room- 'Transportation'

Thanks for stopping by!

Lee Ann  :)  

Just Relaxing and Playing

Hi everyone! 

Me again, with another card today.  I found myself playing around with crafty stuff this evening; I have always wanted to try coloring on designer paper - I have seen some beautiful cards done this way.   Well, I actually liked what I ended up with and turned it into a card. 

I initially had been inspired by the colors in the newest challenge at Sunday Stamps~

Then, when I decided I was actually going to use the image for a card, the sketch at Freshly Made Sketches was perfect! 

The stamp is one of my all time favorite Unity Stamps, Rebuild Herself.  The Hello Die is from WPlus9. 
Thanks for stopping by and have a blessed week!

Lee Ann  :)

CAS with a Unity Girl

Hi All!

Just a quick post today to share a VERY CAS card for me.  I am finishing up the school year and preparing for my trip to the South West.  I am excited to get to meet the talented Vicki D. while I am there!
So I sort of whipped up this CAS card; only thing is it took multiple different attempts and mistrials before I got to this very simple card.

This Unity Girl from the Birthday Soul stamp set is colored with Copics and ended up being fussy cut out when I did not like my initial background for her.  Heat embossed the sentiment from the Maple Girl stamp set on black and mounted to a black circle.
I am linking up to Addicted to Stamps and More's Challenge- 'CAS'
And Fab n Funky Challenges- 'No designer Paper'

Thanks for stopping by and have a blessed week!

Lee Ann  :)

Wednesday with SugarPea Designs!

Hi Everyone!

I am frantically working to get all of my DT work in before June 1, when I head to Arizona.  Summer is coming fast!  Seems it was just Christmas.
This week's SugarPea Designs  sketch is great, and so versatile.  Wait til you see all of the ways the team interpreted the sketch!

Here is your sketch~

So, I just ordered the Funky Wreath All Seasons Stamp Set and was itching to play with it.  This seemed the perfect sketch for it.  As luck would have it, the Funky Wreath Spring Addition Stamp Set was sold out.  What to do, what to do?  I used the two little leaf images in the All Seasons set, stamping the image 3 times to create a little tulip style flower.
The rectangle panel was die cut with the Zig Zag Stitched Rectangles dies (hmmm, think I use them enough?!).  The sentiment- Thanks Die - was heat embossed with pink up on bottom and gold on top.
This was an easy peasy card that came together very quickly.
Ready for more inspiration?  Check out the rest of the DT~

 Claire Broadwater
Deanne Kay
Jeanne Jachna
Karren Johnson
Laura Jane

Lee Ann Barrett

Lesley Croghan

Mackie Robertson
Kerin Sylvester

We hope you join us and link your card up to the SugarPea Designs SugarSketch gallery!  Remember, the more you play, the greater your chances of winning a $75 gift certificate to the SPD store!   Check out the details and rules HERE.  

I am linking up to Tuesday Throwdown- 'Embossing'.
Crafting for All Seasons- 'Add Some Embossing' 
and Just Us Girls- 'Vellum'

A Little Zen with The Challenge

Only 1 more Monday to go for this school year!  Can I get an Amen!?  That also means only two weeks before I head out of town and I am frantically trying to get everything together.  Getting all my crafty obligations done early is a challenge in itself!
This week at The Challenge is an inspiration challenge~

Here is this week's pretty inspiration photo~

So not only did I fall in love with the pinks and greens in this week's inspiration photo, but it has a zen-like feel to me as well, so I tried to keep everything clean and crisp.
 I used one of my favorite Flourishes images (no longer in business) and colored with Copics.  I have been practicing trying to get more depth in my coloring and this is a great image for that.  The sentiment is from a retired Sweet 'n Sassy Stamp Set.
The Design Team has lots of great inspiration for you!

Anita Madden
Broni Holcombe
Claire Broadwater
Diane Jaquay
Jinny Newlin

Kim Heggins

Kimberly Wiener

Lori Tecler

Nance Salkeld

Nina Forsyth

Rachel Bergfeld

Hope to see you in the gallery!  You can link up your creation HERE!

Thanks for stopping and have a blessed day!

Lee Ann  :)

Wednesday with SugarPea Designs!

Hi Everyone and Happy Hump Day!

A great sketch is coming your way this week at SugarPea Designs SugarSketch!  It is that time of year when proms, graduations and the like are happening.  I have a niece graduating from high school.  With a little help from google, I found her school colors and made her this card using the 'The Key to My Heart Stamp Set'.

Here is your sketch~

I started with coloring my key with Copics and cutting it out.  The Cherry Cobbler panel was masked and sponged; then I used gold embossing paste with a stencil.  The gold paste wants to photograph a copper color, but it does have more gold in it.  Spritzed some Calico White color spray and added my new go-to, cheese cloth, for texture.
And the team, with more fabulous inspiration!
Claire Broadwater
Deanne Kay
Jeanne Jachna
Karren Johnson
Laura Jane

Lee Ann Barrett

Lesley Croghan

Mackie Robertson
Kerin Sylvester 

We hope you join us and link up to our gallery HERE!  With each entry you have a chance to win a gift certificate to the SPD store.  The more you play, the more chances you have!  Check out the details and rules HERE.  

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a blessed week!

I am linking up to Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge- 'emboss'. 
Happy Stamping!

Lee Ann  :)

Colors with The Challenge and Unity

Hi All!

Hope you ladies had a fantastic Mother's Day.  I know I did!  I never get tired of going to the Missouri Botanical Gardens- it is truly a St Louis treasure-and time with my son is cherished.
This week, we have some fabulous colors for you at The Challenge!

So I could not wait to ink up my new Phyllis Harris image from Unity!  Isn't this just the most precious little girl!  I colored her with Copics.  The blue background is also done with Copics and then texturized with alcohol and burlap.  Same goes for the yellow area on the next panel.
Ready for some more inspiration?  Check out what the rest of the team has for you!

Anita Madden
Broni Holcombe
Claire Broadwater
Diane Jaquay
Jinny Newlin

Kim Heggins

Kimberly Wiener
Laurel Seabrook

Lori Tecler

Nance Salkeld

Nina Forsyth

Rachel Bergfeld

 

You can link up your card HERE, on Lesley Croghan's blog, Always Playing with Paper.   

 

Thanks so myuch for stopping by and have a blessed week!

 

Lee Ann  :)

Colorburst Peony

Happy Mother's Day to all you Moms out there! 

Just sneaking in a quick card that I had lots of fun making.  I really really wanted to play around with my Colorbursts.   I am still learning, as I think I tend to use too much water when I activate them,  but they are so freeing, in that you do not need to worry about precision (which is what I typically do!). 

I used by Stampendous Peony, embossing it with black ep.  Then I just started playing!  The shine is from Crystal Effects- I coated most of the peony with it.

I am linking up to Happy Little Stampers Mixed Media Challenge- 'Shine',  Tuesday Throwdown-'spring',
and Freshly Made Sketches~

Thanks so much for popping in and have a blessed week! 

Lee Ann  :)

Pastel Thanks and a SugarSketch

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

EDIT~So sorry this did not post yesterday as it was supposed to everyone!

Don't mind me; I am just a school nurse counting down the days to the end of the school year!  Yep, 3 more Wednesdays and then 2 months of freedom!  In the meantime, I continue to try to find time in the evening to craft (such a stress reliever, no?) and am waiting for my mojo to come back home.
This week's sketch was a challenge for me~

Here is your sketch~

Since I am without mojo, I thought I would mix things up and venture outside of my comfort zone.  I typically do not use pastels, so went ahead and used a pastel watercolored paper for my card base- it was die cut with the SugarCuts Zig Zag Stitched Rectangles.  I also am not a shaker fan, so went ahead and did that on this card as well.  The various strips of paper- patterned, cs and vellum- are also outside my comfort zone.
Lastly, I experimented with something new, adding color and dimension to my SugarCuts  'Thanks'.

The bubbly little girl is from the What's Mew? Stamp Set- I fussy cut her out of the window scene and tucked her into the corner of my shaker window.
Ready for more inspiration from the stellar team?  Check out their creations!

Claire Broadwater
Deanne Kay
Jeanne Jachna
Karren Johnson
Laura Jane

Lee Ann Barrett

Lesley Croghan

Mackie Robertson
Kerin Sylvester 

We hope you play along with us! As always, with each submission, you have a chance to win a gift certificate to the SugarPea Designs Store!  See the blog for details and rules.  Link up your creations HERE.  
I am linking up to Addicted to STamps and More- 'Make your Mark'
as well as The House of Cards May Challenge, 'Clear Papers'.  I have used vellum and acetate.  Thanks so much for taking time to visit!  

Have a blessed day!

Lee Ann  :D

A Sketch for The Challenge

Hi Everyone and Happy First Monday in May!

This week is sketch week over at The Challenge and Lesley has a great one for us.

Here is your sketch~

This was a great one, especially for using up bits of designer paper.  The most difficult part was deciding on which color scheme to go with!  In the end I settled on neutrals with a hint of pink, perfect for a contemporary baby card.
The sweet giraffe is a WPlus 9 image, colored with Copics.  Sentiment stamp and die is from SugarPea Designs.
The Team has some ah-mazing inspiration for you this week~

Anita Madden
Broni Holcombe
Claire Broadwater
Diane Jaquay
Jinny Newlin

Kim Heggins

Kimberly Wiener
Laurel Seabrook

Lori Tecler

Nance Salkeld

Nina Forsyth

Rachel Bergfeld

We would love to see your work in the gallery this week!  You can link up your creation HERE!  
Have an amazing week!  

Lee Ann  :)  

Knock Your Socks Off!

Hi Everyone and Happy MAY!!!
Wow, I cannot believe it is May already; and knowing how things are at work this time of year, the remainder of the school year is going to fly by.  I squeezed in a bit of stamping time to play in the Retrosketches Challenge this week, as well as the current Colour Q Challenge.
This Unity image had yet to see ink, so I was thrilled to see how well it would work for the sketch.

The dark frame is navy blue, I just could not get it to photograph right.  The card base is scored, just for fun!

Here is your sketch~

And your colors~

These are definitely not colors I would have leaned towards on my own, so it was a good challenge!
I am also linking up to Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge, 'Anything Goes'. 


Thanks much for stopping by and have a blessed week!

Lee Ann  :)