Sunny Days

So long sad times / Go along bad times / We are rid of you at last
Howdy gay times / Cloudy gray times
You are now a thing of the past
Happy days are here again
The skies above are clear again / So let's sing a song of cheer again
Happy days are here again

{and this one}

The sun is shinin', come on get happy
The Lord is waitin' to take your hand
Shout Hallelujah, come on get happy
We're gonna be goin' to the promise land

{and you can find the really, seriously awesome combination of

these two amazing songs and ladies here.} 

What an exciting day because it is time for a Lil' Inker Designs Challenge!
The design team (along with the newest member, Taheerah and permanent core members
Alyssa and Isha!) has gotten together for an inspiration hop of our theme,
Sunny Days. 

You should have arrived from Jen Carter's Blog, but in case you missed the beginning,
it is all happening at the Lil' Inker Designs Blog.

My Sunny Days card features a ton of Lil' Inker Designs goodness, including the
sun, cloud, banner, instant camera frame dies
(all featuring the signature Lil' Inker Designs stitching!)
and the Sun Sentiments stamp set! 

I affixed everything at various levels with dimensional adhesive for added dimension.

So you have the chance to play along too! Make a project inspired by the Sunny Days Challenge Graphic and Lil' Inker Designs products as your main focus. Additional challenge rules and the linky tool are on the Lil' Inker Designs Blog. There are some really amazing prizes (like gift certificates to the store!) and there is also a SALE that you can read more about on the store blog.

Can't wait to see what you come up with!

Only a Dad

Only a dad, with a tired face,

Coming home from the daily race,

Bringing little of gold or fame,

To show how well he has played the game,

But glad in his heart that his own rejoice

To see him come, and to hear his voice...

Only a dad, but he gives his all

To smooth the way for his children small,

Doing, with courage stern and grim,

The deeds that his father did for him.

This is the line that for him I pen,

Only a dad, but the best of men.

By Edgar Albert Guest

This set, called Let's Face It, by Nina B. for the The Craft's Meow May Previews is so much fun! There's really nothing like it out there in stampland.

Going with another clean and simple card, I embossed a card base in chevron to provide some interest in my simple composition. I used a banner from Good Times and a sentiment included in the new set. Then I added the collar and used a tie die cut for a bit of dimension. So simple and fresh, in my opinion.

There are some new designers showcasing their stuff for The Craft's Meow. Please be sure to stop by for a visit at the Blog and the Designer's Blogs. You've got a chance to win this beautiful set for free!

Side By Side

I will always be amazed at those couples who stood the test of time,
married for what seems like forever.
Their love is true, their love is strong.

We've had two amazing days of The Craft's Meow May Previews! Today is the debut of the set I designed, called Side by Side. It is mainly a sentiment based set geared towards weddings and anniversaries, but the flowers and a few large sentiments included can be used for any occasion!

I went really simple and graphic with this card, inspired by Maile Belles. The large sentiment was embossed with gold onto a strip of gold washi tape, and another smaller sentiment was stamped onto a white banner. Pieces were layered at different levels to add a bit of interest.

There are some new designers showcasing their stuff for The Craft's Meow. Please be sure to stop by for a visit at the Blog and the Designer's Blogs. You've got a chance to win this beautiful set for free!

Wildflowers

Hey, I'm a wildflower, growin' in the sunshine,
soakin' up the way of life I was raised in,
runnin' barefoot bloomin' in a summer shower,
ponytail dancin' I can't help it.

I-I'm a wildflower.
~Janedear Girls

Welcome to the second day of The Craft's Meow May Previews! Today we have a another absolutely lovely set designed by Nina B., called Wildflowers.

There are two flower images in this set (among other fabulous items) and I used the outlined version. I stamped in brown and then outlined choice areas in white gel pen. I colored the insides with marker. Finally, I accented the flowers with a few dots of Enamel Accents. The card was finished with a bow of embroidery floss and a touch of embossed dots.

There are some new designers showcasing their stuff for The Craft's Meow. Please be sure to stop by for a visit at the Blog and the Designer's Blogs. You've got a chance to win this beautiful set for free!

He Leadeth Me

He leadeth me, O blessed thought!

O words with heavenly comfort fraught!

Whate'er I do, where'er I be

Still 'tis God's hand that leadeth me.

Today marks the first day of The Craft's Meow May Previews! Today we have a lovely set debuting called Lovely Hymns Two, designed by Nina B.

I decided to make the sentiment from Beautiful Hymns Two shine by accenting it with some My Mind's Eye Rub-ons and patterned paper. I really like the versatility of the this set, it goes with just about anything I have in my stash. The sentiment and flowers are actually adhered with foam adhesive onto a patterned paper panel, and where the two meet I tied strung some May Arts Burlap String and tied a bow.

There are some new designers showcasing their stuff for The Craft's Meow. Please be sure to stop by for a visit at the Blog and the Designer's Blogs. You've got a chance to win this beautiful set for free!

Patterns

Today we have TWO sneak peeks of CAS-ual Fridays Stamps for the May Release!

This first card features a few patterns from Zigs & Zags. Love the different sizes as well as patterns included in this set, and stamping them makes for quick cards too! (I also added a sentiment from WTF.)

The second set today features many houndstooth patterns, another perfect set for the guys in your life, or the trendy gals too! Here I embossed the medium houndstooth pattern in blue onto black paper, then adhered the strip to a white card based, added a red strip of washi tape and finished with a sentiment included in the set.

Please stop by the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps Blog to see more projects featuring this set, and find out how you could win one of your very own!

Tech Talk

**Please scroll down for my Artful Delight post,
where I've got two cards featuring a cool technique!**

The other day my dear old Mac (and when I say old, I mean old like in old age) lost one of its Control keys. Looks like a big gaping hole. Rest in Peace, Control Key. Good thing that Mac users don't often use the Control Key...

Have you enjoyed the past couple of sneaks for the May Release at CAS-ual Fridays Stamps? Today's set is called Tech Talk and what a cool concept! There are many images and sentiments to mix and match in this set, perfectly masculine yet still universal too. I stamped a few of the stamps with white ink and then after they thoroughly dried, shaded a them with marker to add dimension. This panel was then adhered to the card base with dimensional adhesive (after affixing some washi tape to the base and stamping the sentient.)

Please stop by the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps Blog to see more projects featuring this set, and find out how you could win one of your very own!

Perennials

This year I'm finally getting into the perennials. Take the time to care for them twice a year and they come up year after year after year. I planted some lilies, dahlias, irises and hostas. Here's wishing me luck!

Included in this month's Artful Delight May Card Kit are some sketchy rub on transfers from the Amy Tangerine line. I went clean and simple and adhered them onto a card base (the cardstock came from the kit too!) and then colored them in with a Copic Marker. Much to my delight, only certain areas took the ink, and it lent to even more sketchy, colored, look! The sentiment is from the stamp set included in this month's kit.

Here's another version. I used a cotton swap to apply white ink to the clouds and Copics for the sun. (The sentiment is from a Lawn Fawn set I already had in my stash.)

Artful Delight offers a monthly card sketch and a scrapbook sketch challenge, details are here...try your hand for a chance to win a kit!

Yellow Brick Road

"Follow the yellow brick road, follow the yellow brick road
Follow, follow, follow, follow, follow the yellow-brick road
Follow the yellow-brick, follow the yellow-brick
Follow the yellow-brick road
You're off to see the Wizard, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz
You'll find he is a Whiz of a Wiz is ever a Wiz there was
If ever, oh ever, a Wiz there was the Wizard of Oz is one because
Because, because, because, because, because
Because of the wonderful things he does
You're off to see the wizard, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz!"

Welcome back to Day Two of the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps May Release. Today we are featuring BrickWorks, a really fun background building sets with awesome sentiments. I stamped one of the patterns with white ink on an angle onto yellow card stock then came back with a second stamp and gray ink. I finished the card with a sentiment strip. Love the ode to the Yellow Brick Road for a graduation card...

Please stop by the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps Blog to see more projects featuring this set, and find out how you could win one of your very own!

Frankly

“Now, at the end of the road, there was nothing left of that girl. Hunger and hard labor, fear and constant strain, the terrors of war and the terrors of Reconstruction had taken away all warmth and youth and softness. About the core of her being, a shell of hardness had formed and, little by little, layer by layer, the shell had thickened during the endless months.”
~Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind

{Funny how reading those few lines many, many times and many, many years ago really had no personal meaning, but now, they mean the world.}

Woo hoo! Today starts the sneaks at CAS-ual Fridays Stamps for the May Release, and this month the stamps are outstanding (well, really, they are every month). There are some really fun quotes in this set, aptly called Frankly. The other gals have showcased my favorite large stamp, but I decided to feature the graphic stamp included in the set and created some long stemmed poppies.

Please stop by the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps Blog to see more projects featuring this set, and find out how you could win one of your very own!