A Little Inspiration with the Challenge

Hello and Happy August! 

School is just around the corner; I hope everyone is enjoying their remaining lazy days of summer! 
Today's challenge at The Challenge is an inspiration photo.  I picked up on the colors in this photo.

Here is your inspiration~

There are lots of ways to interpret this photo; it is very busy! 
I used SugarPea Designs Banner dies, Zig Zag Stitched Rectangles dies, and Celebrate All Things Stamp Set.  The Balloon die is from Lawn Fawn. 
Check out the rest of the amazing inspiration from the team HERE and then link up your card! 
Thanks for stopping by,

Lee Ann 

Monochromatic for The Challenge

Good Morning!

So here we are, with our last challenge of JULY!  

Goodness, where is the summer going?!?!  I have spent some time back at work and I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt, I did not like it, LOL!  

July has been a great month, full of fun, including this week's word challenge!

Here are your words- use one or as many as you want.

I used 'simple', 'monochromatic' and 'circle.  

This image remains one of my favorite Christmas images; it is from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps.  

It is this precious set, Born this Day.  

I used the sketch at The Paper Players.  I am also linking up to Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge, Anything Goes.

You can check out the rest of the amazing inspiration from the team HERE and then link up your card to The Challenge!
Thanks for stopping by!

Lee Ann 

Feeling Blue with Today's Challenge!

Hi Everyone!

I have been away from the craft desk for a while, as I went on another trip out to Colorado.  What a beautiful place Rocky Mountain National Park is!  Pics below, if interested, but you are here for the new challenge!
The challenge at The Challenge this week is all about your color choice- black and white plus one color!

Goodness, it seems I never can have enough sympathy cards.  Seems that is all I make these days.
I went CAS with this card, using a small floral image from Power Poppy's Countryside Bouquet Stamp Set.  I stamped the image several times, colored and then fussy cut them out.
For texture and depth, I used white embossing paste and a stencil to create a background for my flowers. Once dry, I adhered my flowers and the sentiment strip.  My favorite sequins finish it off.
Thanks so much for stopping by!

Stop by the blog for all of the other design team members' amazing inspiration and then JOIN us! 

I am linking up to Curtain Call Challenge as I was inspired by the colors in this weeks pic~

And, as mentioned above, a few pictures from my trip-

Thanks for visiting!  Have a blessed week!

Lee Ann  :)

Gorgeous inspiration from The Challenge!

Hi Everyone! 

I am off exploring the mountains again, but the challenges continue at The Challenge!  This week's inspiration is just stunning! 

As this image practically screamed to use florals,  decided to use my brand new Honey Bee Stamps, Country Blooms Stamp Set and Happy Everything for the sentiment~

This is actually a mixed media piece; I used a chicken wire stencil (or honey comb, whichever you want to call it) for the background and colored in the negative space with a white Prismacolor pencil.  The pencil resists the watercoloring that I did next.  I like the almost bokeh effect that I got.
Check out all of he amazing inspiration- just gorgeous stuff- over at The Challenge. 

Thanks for stopping by!  Hope to see you in the gallery!

Lee Ann  :)

The Challenge with a New Option!

Hi All!

Welcome back; we have a new style of challenge for you this week at The Challenge!  I like the versatility of it.  Let me know what you think!

Here is your challenge~

Pick one or pick as many key words as you would like!  It is up to you!

I just got this new stamp set from Altenew and of course had to ink it up.  Love, love, love this set!  I colored the leaves and smaller bunches with Copics. The two large blooms are stamped with Altenew inks.  As I was playing around with the arrangement and looking at the key words,the word 'square' jumped out at me.  I decided it might be fun to use a vellum square as a window and embellishment for my bouquet.  So flowers, bright and square.  There you have it!
Hope you can join us!  check out the rest of the amazing work from the rest of the team and then link up your project HERE!
I am linking up to The Flower Challenge~

As well as Sunday Stamps Challenge~

And Addicted to Stamps- 'Make your Mark'. 

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

Lee Ann :)

The Challenge- Colors!

Hello, Hello!

Happy summer everyone!  I am back from vacation and ready to hit the ' To Do' list, LOL!
But not before getting out the Copics for this week's challenge at  The Challenge!

I love this image and love stamping her off the card front for a sense of movement.  So, almost a OLC with the exception of the thin black strips of cardstock beneath the die cut sentiment, which is one of my fave sentiment dies.  It is from SugarPea Designs.  
To get the look, I die cut the word celebrate from the card front after coloring my Uptown Girl from Stamping Bella.  I then  die cut the word from a second card front sized panel, using the already cut negative space on the card front for positioning purposes.  I sandwiched a piece of clear cardstock in between the card front and the second plain card front panel, adhering the card front, second uncolored panel and clear cardstock together.  This gave me something to adhere my 'celebrate' die cut to and keep the one layer look as well as the clear or 'see through' look on my card.
Clear as mud, I am sure.
Wink of Stella and SSS sequins add just the right amount of sparkle.

Now it is your turn!  I hope you can join us this week!  Check out all of the amazing inspiration from the rest of the team and then link up your creation HERE!

I am linking up to Addicted to Stamps and More- 'Anything Goes' and Casology, 'Clothes'.

I am also linking up to Seize the Birthday!

Thanks  for stopping by!

Lee Ann  :)

The Challenge is Back!

Hello and Happy June 1st Everyone!

I have such exciting news to share; one of my favorite challenges is back!  The Challenge!  Run by Leslie Croghan, The Challenge was put on hold while Leslie was tending to her newest addition to her family, the most beautiful baby girl!  But now we are back up and running with some brand new challenges coming your way.  First up is an inspiration challenge~

Well, there certainly is a lot to use as inspiration here!  Initially I went very CAS with my card as I did not think I had a lot of time to create.  It really does not get more CAS than this~

I let the embossing serve as the sentiment here.  However, the more I looked at this, the more I was not sure I liked it.  So I tried again~

Yes, I guess you could say these cards are polar opposites!  This time I found a water colored rainbow panel in my stash that was perfect for this challenge.  My sentiment is from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps.
The balloon dies are from Lawn Fawn.  The balloons are colored with Copics and then sparkle was added with my Wink of Stella pen. 
So break out your party images and get your rainbow on! Link up your project HERE!  

Thanks for stopping by and have a blessed week!

Lee Ann :)

Christmas with The Challenge

Good Morning and Happy Saturday, Everyone! 

We have a new challenge today at The Challenge; this week it is Christmas inspiration~

Unfortunately, I could not get a good pic of this card to save my life.  It is much prettier irl.
Here is your inspiration photo

I used a NBUS Christmas tree from WPLus9; I bet I have had this stamp set for at least 3 years.  Not sure what I was waiting for!  The 'merry' die is SU.  The diecut is from red cardstock and coated in clear embossing powder.  For some reason it wanted to photograph very dark.


I added some PTI vellum, washi tape and SSS sequins to finish it off. 
Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you check out all of the team's inspiration HERE and then link up your creation!

Have a blessed weekend!

By the Sea with The Challenge

Hello All! 
Anyone glad it is the weekend???  I know I am!  And the best part about this weekend is that I have no plans!  I hope to get lots of things done, including catching up on crafting.  Last week I missed The Challenge as I just ran out of time and cardmaking MOJO. 

Here is your inspiration photo~

I used one of my favorite Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Stamp Sets, Beauty by the Sea.  

The sentiment is from the Precious Poppies Stamp Set. A few paint 

spatters, a few sequins and a few seed beads finish it off!

I was inspired to try the sketch this week at CAS(E) this Sketch~

Thanks for stopping by and have a blessed weekend!

Lee Ann  :)

A New Challenge with a Sweet 'n Sassy Snowman

Hello!
 Hope you are having a good weekend!  Today I am up on the Sweet 'n Sassy Blog with this card.  It was inspired by the newest challenge at 'The Challenge'.  Love this inspiration photo!

Here is the inspiration photo~

Are you a sucker for snowmen???  I know I am!  This brand new one from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps, designed by Diane Zechman- Holiday Hugs- is just adorable and sweet.  The sentiment is from another new Christmas set, Christmas Pine.
Ready to play along?  Check out the rest of the inspiration from the rest of the team and then link up your card HERE!

Design Team~

Anita Madden
Broni Holcombe
Claire Broadwater

Kim Heggins

Lori Tecler

Nance Salkeld

Nina Forsyth

Rachel Bergfeld

Thanks for stopping by and have a blessed weekend!

Lee Ann  :)

Inspiration from The Challenge

Hello and Welcome back to another challenge from The Challenge!
This week it is all about an inspiration photo.  I was inspired by the colors of the flowers.

I was pretty stumped at first, not because I do not have a pineapple stamp or because the photo is not inspiring, but because of a continued lack of MOJO.  Here is the inspiration photo~

I used the awesome Scribble Flowers Stamp Set for my card.  They are diecut out with the matching dies.  I stenciled a background, sponging orange inks. 
So put on your thinking caps, it is time to be inspired by this pineapple vase!  Check out all of the inspiration from the rest of the team, and then link up your creation HERE.

Anita Madden
Broni Holcombe
Claire Broadwater

Kim Heggins

Lori Tecler

Nance Salkeld

Nina Forsyth

Rachel Bergfeld

Thanks for stopping by and have a blessed weekend!

Lee Ann  :)

Colors, Cupcakes and The Challenge

Hello and Welcome back to another challenge at 'The Challenge'!

This week is all about colors and the ones Lesley selected are wonderful!

Here are those amazing colors!

This Unity image is colored with Copics.  Nothing fancy here as I am still waiting for my MOJO to return from where ever it has gone.  Until then, I am relying on inspiration from other places.  Today's card was inspired by the MOJO Monday sketch this week~

I am also linking up to Seize the Birthday~ 'Anything Goes',
and 'Just Us Girls'- 'Use Sequins'.  Seems I can not NOT use sequins these days, LOL!

Check out the rest of the Design Team inspiration and link up your creation HERE!

Have a blessed weekend!

Lee Ann  :)

We're Back!

Hi Everyone!

Happy Labor Day Weekend for those in the U.S.!  I am looking forward to completing some projects and hopefully finding my MOJO!  Challenges really do help me be creative in ways I would not have thought of.  I miss so many challenges over the summer when the teams are taking a well-deserved break.
I am happy to report that The Challenge is back!  We are starting out this season with a sketch~

As you can see, I flipped the sketch and used some of that fabuous plaid paper from Lawn Fawn.  The sweet image is from Unity.  Crystal Effects gives the dome a nice shine.
Check out the inspiration from the rest of the team, then link up your creation HERE. Can't wait to see you in the gallery!

Anita Madden
Broni Holcombe
Claire Broadwater

Kim Heggins

Lori Tecler

Nance Salkeld

Nina Forsyth

Rachel Bergfeld

Blessings,

Lee Ann  :)

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 :)  

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  :)  

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  :)

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  :)

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  :)  

A Little Inspiration with The Challenge!

Good Morning and Happy Monday All!

Today's inspiration photo at The Challenge is just chock full of, well, inspiration!
Sadly, my brain was not so full of MOJO.  I could not get past the big red heart, LOL!  So, I had to step away from it and go with something completely different.  I chose to try the Bargello technique, having been inspired by the quilted strips~

You can find this technique HERE. 
Here is the inspiration photo (yes, VERY different from what I ended up doing! )

I hope you can see how I was inspired by the fabric strips.  I think as I used to make quilt tops, I was especially inspired by this technique.
I used a MFT Blue Prints Die set for the large mat die, a MFT Layered Leaves Die, and the set I was just itching to get, the Simon Says Stamp/Hero Arts Prayers Stamp and Die Set.

I was inspired by the sketch at Sketch Saturday~

Ready for more inspiration?  Check out what the rest of the design 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

When you have created your card, you can link it up HERE at The Challenge!

Thanks for stopping by and have a blessed week!

Lee Ann  :)