Lilli of the Valley

Ok...so this is my first card with a LOTV image - I have been resisting them for a while but they are too cute. For my card I started with the image over at the Sketch Saturday blog

Cute and Simple...just like the LOTV stamp I used. The image is Rosie Posy.

 The papers are from K&Co. Wild Saffron paper stack and all the papers in that collection are so beautiful. I love them all :) The image is colored using a variety of markers - Copic, Spectrum Noir, Faber Castell etc. I guess I have some commitment issues :)
The biggest white - blue flower is a Spellbinder die and the rest are made using a paper punch.

 

The inside of the card is lined with the same paper. The stamped image on the right side is Inkdinkado. I randomly stamped the right panel because it just looked too white without it :(
Though it is a bit messy, I like the look better than a very neat one..

Submitting for the following challenges

Sketch Saturday

Totally Gorjuss Challenge

Lilli of the Valley Thursday Challenge

Simon says stamps challenge

Thank you for stopping by....

Love is in the air.....

Or at least it seems like that every time I step in to a store :) Sometimes I wonder though, do we really need a special day to celebrate love. How about doing it everyday ? And then sometimes, showing it unexpectedly...An unexpected bouquet of flowers brings much more happiness than one on Valentine's day - I kind of expect it then.
Oh well, enough with the rambling and on to the card

For this card, I started with a sketch at  Graphicat Sketch Challenge blog, which I discovered this week and immediately fell in love with their sketch.

And this is what I came up with
 I love this stamp from Penny Black. It is sooo adorable. The papers are from Recollections Christmas collection except for the black one which I bought at, guess where, Walmart. The swirly twines are Memory box corner die which I cut in to various parts to give it  the desired look. The mat under the image is of course, Spellbinders.

 The flowers are made with a simple punch ( Fiskars, I think). I was looking in my stash for a flower topper and I found these long-lost beads ( yup, I make jewelry sometimes too) and I thought they are perfect.

 

 The inside of the card is simple - just lined with some pattern paper and some flowers

 

 Submitting for the following challenges

Graphicat Sketchs Challenge

Charisma Cardz Challenge - Hearts and Flowers. 

Artistic Inspirations Blog - Love / Anything goes

ABC Challenges - Valentines Day

 

Thank you for stopping by.....

The Chicken or the egg ?????

So what came first - the chicken or the egg ? For me the question has always been, what do I choose first - the papers or the colors on the image?
Usually, I choose the papers first, then the image and then color the image based on the papers. But this time, I decided to color the image first ( won't bore you with reason though) and boy, oh boy, was it tough getting this card together...May be because I do not have enough stacks of paper- hubby dear is rolling his eyes :)
Anyway, I started with this sketch at Willow Sketchie Challenge

 

And this is what I came up with

I really like the image, it is so full of life and energy and with the brutal cold that we are all enduring this week, I needed to have this as colorful as possible. Orange, yellow and red - warmth and life, right?

 

 The papers are DCWV, actually from three different paper stacks. The sentiment is Inkadinkado. The butterfly on the right side is Martha Stewart punch. The flowers are all hand made except for the small orange rose that I used as a flower topper. The long fringed leaf were also made by yours truly :) . Don't have a die cut for that and anyway they are not tough to make.

 The inside of the card is lined with the same background paper. I did not have a stamp for balloons so I just drew them. Not too bad, eh?

  

Submitting for the following challenges

Willow Sketchie Challenge




Use it tuesday - colors red, orange and yellow

7kids challenge blog - Use something new and something old. The "Celebrate" stamp is new - infact the first  time I am using it. Bought it, surprisingly, at TJ Maxx. The papers are from old stack and also the flower topper, bought in, can you believe it 2009 !
Sarah Hurley challenges - Celebrate

Paper-crafting Journey - For a girl

Thank you for stopping by...

And what a break it was.....

So I had a wonderful winter break with friends and family, a sweet vacation in Hawaii ( my all time favorite place in the world) and tons and tons of food - which unfortunately is showing on my waistline :) And while I wasn't able to spend that much time with my papers, I did keep up with all the wonderful blogs and the newest creations and that was fun. And now, back on the wagon, this is my first creation for 2013....

I started with this wonderful sketch at the Sweet Sketch Wednesday blog.

And with a bit of green and a lot of pink, this is what I ended up with

The stamped image is from Saturated Canary and though I love it, I have always been a bit hesitant to use it. Reason? The hair...I am not very good at coloring hair and all the Saturated canary girls have gorgeous hair. I guess I should just sit and practice coloring hair one day.
The shadowing around the image is done with artist chalks. The balloon has sparkles on it...it is definitely more shiny in reality than it appears in the picture.
All the papers are DCWV except the pink gingham which is a really old paper ( probably 15 years old) that I bought in Japan. Talk about old times :) 

The inside of the card is simple, lined with pink polka dotted paper with a white cut-out for writing a message.

Submitting for the following challenges
Sweet Sketch Wednesday

Sweet Stampin Challenge - show us your frillies / frills. "Ava" has a frilly dress on and the rosette flowers have frills / pleats so that counts too, right?

Simply Create too - Anything goes

Stampin for the weekend - Something girly