My First Card as a "Guest Designer"!

If you've been over to the A La Card Monkey blog today, you've likely already seen this card.  It is the one I designed for my guest designer role this week.  So that it makes sense, here is the sketch:

...and here is my card:

Card designed for this week's A La Card Monkey challenge using the Touch of Kindness set from the new Summer Mini.

I just love this stamp set!!  This isn't the first card I've done using this set coupled with the Play Date DSP from the main IBC.  I just love how sweet and cheerful it is and I had such fun watercolouring it.  The good news is the the Summer Mini goes live tonight at midnight and you'll be able to order your own copy of this set.  The mini is chock full of fantastic new products...you'll love every single page!  If you would like your own FREE copy, drop me a quick email with your mailing info and I will get one out to you.  In the meantime, here is how I made this card:

Starting with a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of so saffron cardstock, I ran it through my Big Shot with the perfect polka dots embossing folder.  I then cut a circle from the flower patterned Playdate DSP using my clear circle die.  I adhered it to the embossed so saffron piece so that it extended off the right edge slightly.  I trimmed the excess off with my paper cutter.  I then cut a 4" strip of real red cardstock and punched it using my dotted scallop ribbon punch.  I adhered that across the cardfront.  I then cut a piece of 1/4" tempting turquoise grosgrain ribbon (retired...it came in one of my Grab Bags!!) and laid it over top of the real red scalloped strip, so that only part of the dots and the scallops were peeking out underneath and then secured it on either end with a glue dot.  I took another small piece of the ribbon, wedged it between the prongs of a real red glimmer brad and then poked the prongs through the cardfront, gathering up the adhered piece of ribbon as I did so.  I opened the prongs on the back to secured the "bow".  I then took a piece of watercolour paper, stamped the cat image and one of the little birds from the birdbath image in Staz-on and then watercoloured it using my ink pads and blender pen.  I watercoloured the background using my aquapainter.  Once the paper was dry, I sponged all the way around the edges using tempting turquoise ink.  I layered the image piece on a slightly larger mat of tempting turquoise and then adhered it to my cardfront using dimensionals.  For the sentiment, I stamped the flower in tempting turquoise ink on whisper white cardstock and punched it out using my 1 3/4" scalloped circle punch.  I then stamped the sentiment in real red on so saffron cardstock, punched it out with my 1 1/4" circle punch and then sponged the edges of both pieces in tempting turquoise.  Setting these aside, I stamped the stem in old olive ink on the same coloured cardstock and fussy cut it out.  I adhered the stem to the back of the flower and then adhered the whole thing to the cardfront.  I adhered the sentiment to the centre of the flower using dimensionals.  I then adhered the whole cardfront to a tempting turquoise card base.
Cute and fun!  Check out the challenge and play along...I'd love to see what you all come up with for this sketch!

Touch of Kindess

Long time, no post, I know!  I've been a little busy with Easter celebrations and preparations for my family.  Tomorrow  we are hosting my husband's sister and her family and my brother and sister-in-law (and the bun in the oven!) for Easter dinner.  Some time yesterday I got it in my head that my son and I should make cupcakes for everyone for dessert.  Well...those of you who know me know that I don't do anything half-way, so...here is what we did:

One would think I had learned my lesson after the Lightening McQueen cake...but Easter is special and so is my family!

Every "blade" of  grass is a squeeze of the icing bag!!

Didn't think it was possible, but these took LONGER than Lightening McQueen!!

So...that's my excuse for not posting...am I forgiven??  I do have some great news, though!  I was chosen to be a  guest designer for this week's A La Card Monkey challenge!! 

Now, even though the name of this challenge is remarkably similar to the name of this blog, I have nothing to do with the running of the challenge site blog.  I just enjoy playing along when I get the chance.  You can see the card that earned me the "guest designer" honour here.  The challenge I am designing for starts next Friday, April 29th, so you'll have to wait till then to see what I come up with!  In the meantime, I've been having some fun this evening with some more new goodies from the upcoming Summer Mini.  One of the sets that really appealed to me is one called Touch of Kindness.  It isn't my usual realistic imagery in this set...rather it is just cute and cheerful and I knew I just had to have it when I saw it in the mini.  So...since I can't show you the actual set, here is a card I made using it!

Thank you card using the Touch of Kindness set from the Summer Mini

Not sure if you can tell, but I added Crystal Effects to the water droplets to give them dimension and make them more realistic looking

Cute little kitty...I used silver smooch accent ink for his tag.

Inside of card.

 Doesn't this card just make you smile?  I just love those little birdies and that fat Kitty!  I had great fun watercolouring the images in this set...you will too!!  AND there is only one more week till the Summer Mini goes live!!

If you get a chance, hop on over to the  A La Card Monkey blog and check out this week's challenge!