Misty Eyed

Sometimes the littlest of things can make me misty eyed... Like seeing the boys play for an hour with trucks in the fort they built, or watching my old dog limp-wondering how long he'll be with us but thankful he's still around. Could be something as little as a quick email from a friend, checking up on me.

Today on the Artful Delight Blog, I offer some tips and tricks on spray misting! I'd love for you to go check it out. These two cards feature items from the June Artful Delight Card Kit and the Mr. Huey Spray Mist available at the store (they also are now offering the new seasonal distress ink from Tim Holtz!). Remember to create a project with either the scrapbook layout or card sketch for your chance to win next month's kit. Details are here!

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This week May Arts has teamed up with Lawn Fawn! Stop by the May Arts blog for your chance to win products from both companies!

Pink Bird Tuesdays

Tuesdays can be fun, you've gotten through Monday, tomorrow is the middle of the week. It's kind of like Tuesday is just a day to hang out.

And, to play at Skipping Stones Design too! There is a great new sketch for this week, designed by this month's sketch artist, Cyndi Bundy. Stop by the blog for more details and fabulous inspiration from the design team member and June Guest Designers, Connie Mercer and Megan Aaron.

My simple card today features the awesome silhouette bird from Skipping Stones Design's Garden Kiss and a sentiment from Heartsong 2. I think the card really packs a punch with the colors based off of this week's Play Date Cafe Color Challenge.

Newest Members

Keeping myself pretty busy these days and about to go outside to see Red Steaming Hot and Green Steaming Hot...Yep, they are the current members of my family, in the form of a slimy red insect and a green inchworm that my youngest has taken in and kept alive for the past week or so. Ick.

Playing along with the Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge, happy 100 sketches to you!

New Goodies

The boys have a game they like to play to duke it out with their minds to see who which one gets the mail on a certain day. It is quite comical, and dare I say creative, on the ways they come up with who wins. It is icing on the cake when crafty supplies arrive in big packages. Whomever got the mail gets to bring in the package, and whomever didn't gets to open the  package.

June's Artful Delight Card Kit arrived and it was so much fun to play with the bright, saturated goodies! Most everything on this first card is from the kit. The layout is based on this month's June Artful Delight Sketch Challenge!

Thought I'd show you another take on the same sketch challenge using items from the kit. Isn't that big felt bloom gorgeous?! Young Crafter's Unite is having a Flowers Challenge, and I'll be linking this card up.

I'll also be entering both of these into the Anything Goes Challenge at Simon Says Stamp!

There's so many possibilities with this month's kit, I do have lots to share with you in the coming month!

Jumanji

The boys and I just got done watching a movie from my past, Jumanji, and boy, I forgot how good that was. I like it as much now as I liked it fifteen years ago! For those that are unfamiliar, this description sums it up pretty well: a supernatural board game that makes wild animals and other jungle hazards materialize upon each player's move. Now that is one game and adventure that I could pass on but take a look at the following, its somewhere that I could go...

Since there are five Tuesdays this month, Skipping Stones Design is offering up a color inspiration picture instead of a sketch for this week's challenge. (Read about all the details, rules and prizes here!)

I basically drew inspiration from how the colors were laid out in a color block fashion and added a bit of brocade clear embossed pattern from Skipping Stone Design's Timeless Texture set (which I am going to enter for Damask & Brocade Challenge in the Moxie Fab World!). The thick twine was added with knotted ends to further enhance the beach feel and a sentiment from Christmas Song.

Hope you get a chance to play along!

For the Gardener

There is a special day in mid-May where my mother, sister, aunt, grandmother, cousins and a few friends gather at a local greenhouse to pick out flowers and plant away! Gardening is one hobby that every one can excel at! This past year my very talented aunt found some fun vinyl baskets and I thought to show you today how to dress one up with a custom flower with ribbon made from May Arts.

Did you hear that May Arts is having a design team call? I have loved being on the team this past year and would love it even more to continue on for next year! So let's get started, shall we? For the flower, you'll only need a few items.

Gather up your ribbon: which would include ~ 2 feet of 1.5" grosgrain ric-rac, ~6 inches of 1/2" colored woven burlap and ~5 inches of burlap string. May Arts offers a variety of colors in each of the styles, so have fun choosing a bright and sunny color combination to suite your needs!

Start by cutting the ric-rac into two inch strips. You'll need about 17 or so of these, depending on the fullness of the flower. I used the Imaginisce Ribbon Cutter, it gives such a clean cut to your ribbon by slightly burning the edges to prevent fraying.

Next, onto the easy assembly of the flower! 1. Gather two edges of your ribbon and glue together (hot glue works perfect for this!) 2. Adhere the ribbon petals to a cardstock circle in a round about fashion until the base of the circle is covered. Complete two more layers by gluing petals on top of the base petals, with each layer using less petals. 3. For a bit of whimsy, I decided to forgo the center layer in grosgrain and instead cut five one inch pieces of the burlap and slightly frayed on end. 4. I glued these to the center of the ribbon also in a round about fashion and topped the true center with a large button threaded with burlap string.

To make the flower function as a clip, I simply hot glued an office binder clip to the back of the cardstock. Other alternatives for this flower would be to use a felt circle base instead of cardstock, and adhere an elastic band (large or small) to create a cute hair holder or headband. What a cute gift this makes, don't you think?!

You can find more details about the May Arts Design Team blog here. Please see my other posts showcasing May Arts Ribbon, they can be seen here, here and here!

Also, May Arts has teamed up with Core'dinations cardstock! I made a paper corsage, and you have the opportunity to win product from both fabulous companies by just leaving a comment!

I'd really love to know what you think of my flower clip and tutorial in general, and I so very much appreciate your comments!

A Match Made in Heaven

You know what is so brilliant about Artful Delight's Card Kits, other than the fact that it is just plain awesome and way affordable?! I think it is the fact that that you get the best of both worlds, a match made in heaven. The kit has the trendiest, the newest supplies and you get to pair the contents with your favorite, treasured stash.

I chose to use the colors from the latest Paper Smooches Sparks Challenge to drive my card above. I started with a trimmed piece of folded cardstock and made three scored lines at even intervals, bordered by two drawn black lines. Kind of was going for a shoe display in the shoe store feel. Then I stamped the shoes from Pretty Mommas (the set included in May's Kit) in various colors, and finally a sentiment from another Paper Smooches set. For a touch of fun and whimsy (and to bring in the fourth color) I added a small rhinestone to the last shoe.

This next card features the border stickers included in the May Artful Delight Kit, as well as the cardstock, button and twine. The colors matched perfectly to the Paint the Town Color Challenge from Market Street Stamps, so I used one of my favorite sentiments in my stash (from Market Street Stamps Faith In You Set.)

The Artful Delight June kits were just revealed yesterday! Check them out here before they are all gone!

May Flowers

**Please scroll down
or click here
for my Skipping Stones Design/The Twinery Blog Hop Post!**

The Artful Delight Monthly Card Kits aren't just for cards! Please stop on over to the Artful Delight Blog to see how I made this necklace using an item from the May Kit!

Of course, the kits are designed for card makers and I just had to make a card to give with the necklace. Playing off the vintage/clean and simple vibe, I altered just a bit one of the beautiful blooms included in the kit, covered some card stock in the kit with a piece of large gingham patterned paper (also in the kit) and stamped it with a sentiment. I'll be linking this one up to the CAS-ual Fridays Challenge as well as Moxie Fab World's The Gingham Challenge.

Trust Me

Hello, hello! Welcome to the party. Please hang your coats and hats on the rack, slip off your shoes, grab and drink and make yourself welcome! We are celebrating the new release of Grapeful by Skipping Stones Design and The Twinery is here to add to the fun with a special blog hop! You should have arrived from Ashley Bores' blog if you are hopping along!

Skipping Stones Design is also having their regularly scheduled fun sketch challenge this week! (Please join along, the regular rules and details apply!) Because I was planning for the party by cleaning house (just imagine right along with me please!) I ran out of creativity and for me right now it is ok. I showcased some of the fun sentiments in the new Grapeful set, and added just a little bit of twine in a classic way. I did nix the bow, however, and opted for a bit of a tasseled look.

There is a few details you should know about the hop, which started yesterday. Up for grabs, chosen at random on all comments left, is a Colorful Bunch Sampler Pack from The Twinery as well as the new Grapeful Skipping Stones Design plus another stamp set from Skipping Stones Design! The deadline for leaving comments is 11:59 pm EST, Friday, May 25th. The winner will be announced on The Twinery Blog on Sunday, May 27th. Also, Skipping Stones has extended their PMS Stamp Sale, which you can read about on the Skipping Stones Design Blog!



Your next stop on the hop is Jen Carter!

The Softer Side

Psst...There's just a little bit of time left to post your entries for the following:

The Craft's Meow May Sketch Challenge (deadline 05/31/12)

(I've used the scrolled frame from Inspired by Audrey, stamping it three times onto the side and topping the panel with a stamped and fussy cut butterfly from Beautiful Spring. The butterfly has some lovely May Arts 1/2 inch Solid Wrinkled Ribbon in Light Pink wrapped and tied for an antennae. I finished the card with a sentiment, also from Inspired by Audrey.)

Artful Delight May Card Sketch Challenge (deadline tomorrow, May 23rd!)

(The Artful Delight May Card kit included an entire This and That 6x6 paper pad from Echo Park, in which I trimmed an image panel and colored it ever so lightly with Copics. Then I adhered a patterned panel onto the card base, (which also came in the kit!) and wrapped it with some twine (yep, also included in the kit. The sentiment comes from Lawn Fawn (not included) but I love how the kits contain elements that can be used with your current stash.)