"Pack Your Bags"

The Impression Obsession challenge is "Pack Your Bags", and the word "challenge" really applies for me. I felt that the only IO stamps I had that worked with this theme are my lighthouse stamps, but I think I've used all three multiple times. I almost bought a fourth lighthouse stamp yesterday(just can't get enough). So I'm doing something totally different!

Okay, so I still used a lighthouse, but it's cut from Webster's Pages paper. I used two IO stamps, the fabulous Canvas Cover-A-Card (CC073) and the sentiment (B11107). The photograph was taken at beautiful Chester Basin at sunset, here in Nova Scotia. There is so much to see and enjoy here, that I like to pack a lunch and a bathing suit and enjoy my beautiful home province!
Here's the IO challenge : http://mitrafriant.typepad.com/impression_obsession_news/2013/07/pack-your-bags-challenge.html
I'm also entering the My Sheri Crafts Challenge here : http://myshericrafts.blogspot.ca/2013/07/my-sheri-crafts-challenge-115-lets-take.html

Christmas in July

The newest JustRite Challenge is "Christmas in July". I'm still waiting for my new JR Christmas stamps, but I have a couple of older sets that are actually the first JR stamps I owned. I use them every year because I still love them and think that they were the best value for money because of their longevity.

 I used a sentiment from the Christmas Nested frames and Occasions set on the outside, and used one from the Christmas Nested Sentiments on the inside. I decided to do a fairly simple card, and really enjoyed making it. I die cut the pine branches in three different greens and added white Perfect Puff to them. That stuff is so much fun to use, you apply it and then gently heat it and it puffs up.
I used a MS border punch, and then after chasing the little snowflakes around for a while (the fan was on), I painted them (yep, I'm crazy)with a shimmery pearl white paint, and glued them to the wreath.
I love the look of mirror paper on Xmas cards (ooh, shiny!)

I know some of you are waiting to hear about my new eBosser, but I used my trusty old Cuttlebug to cut these great Impression Obsession dies. I'm still getting to know the new machine and I'll post about it another time.
The JustRite Challenge is found here:
http://justritestampers.typepad.com/justrite-inspiration/2013/07/justrite-friday-challenge-101-christmas-in-july.html

JustRite's 100th Challenge !

JustRite is holding their 100th challenge and the challenge is to use a doily. I use doilies all the time,but this time I wanted to use the beautiful Doilies and Lace stamp set, instead of a doily die. I love the set but my crafting mojo wandered off, and I couldn't come up with any idea of what I wanted to do. So I just started stamping some of the cute stamps on some MME paper and embossed with white powder, I thought there was a little too much white, so I used some Faber Castell Big Brush markers to tint some. I cut out the shapes and left them on the desk, still with no clue what to do. Today I thought they looked like flowers, so I added some leaves and went with that idea. The paper is all MME Collectable.

It's threatening to rain here yet again, so I really was in the mood for bright and happy.
Congrats to JustRite and Thank-You for all the fun challenges !
http://justritestampers.typepad.com/justrite-inspiration/2013/06/justrite-friday-challenge-100-delicate-doilies.html

I'm also entering Loves Rubber Stamps challenge to use a "Hoarded Item", this for me is that blue-green trim, and I won't admit to how long I've been hoarding it !
http://www.lovesrubberstampschallenges.com/2013/07/challenge-60-use-hoarded-item.html

Shaken not Stirred !

Impression Obsession posted a challenge to do a shaker card. I hadn't planned on doing this challenge because it is way out of my wheelhouse, and I didn't think I had any stamps that would work for this. It kind of bothered me not to do this challenge, as I've done their challenges pretty consistantly, and it is a "challenge" after all. So I dug through my stamps and made this Autumn themed card.

I always think of shaker cards as being fun and child-friendly, yet mine looks like a picture on a Grandmother's wall. : )
The country scene is IO stamp F1730 Country House, which I painted with Twinkling H2Os. I also painted some white cardstock with Twinks in various colours and punched oak leaves out to make the leaves for inside the window. The frame is cut with Spellbinders Decorative Labels Eight out of some textured copper coloured paper. I  smeared (for lack of a better word), Versamark around the edges of the patterned paper and embossed it with bronze Utee. I don't have any of the cool shaker card products that IO sells, so I had to do this the hard way with foam tape and transparency. I may add a sentiment later, when I decide what to use this for.
I haven't spent my IO winnings from the last challenge yet. IO has a mind boggling amount of wonderful stamps, and maybe I need to choose something a little more playful!
Here's the IO challenge : http://mitrafriant.typepad.com/impression_obsession_news/2013/07/whats-shakin-challenge.html