Creative Challenge

I have the flu and it's kickin' my butt. I'm not sure how long it's been since I've had a temp of 102.6, but let me tell you, I'm a weanie. I'll spare you the details and just let you know that I'm not posting a challenge this weekend. You are welcome to play along with last week or any of June's to have your name included in the July drawing for a RAK ! Have a great weekend !

Creative Challenge #14

Good Morning Challenge Lovers !! Happy 4th of July!

Today's Creative Challenge #14 is to create a project using paper pleats.

This card was created using one of our new stamp sets, EXOTIC BIRD COLLAGES.

Isn't this set gorgeous! I just love it. I can't wait to create with the other 2 images in this set.

Creative Challenge Guidelines

1. Your name entered into a drawing every time you participate in one of my Creative Challenges and post a link to your project using Mr. Linky.

2. Challenges will post on Saturday.

3. You can can qualify by playing along with one of the challenges in the previous month as well. Example : You may link me to projects created for the June challenges this month to qualify. I will no longer be looking back for entries greater that 1 month now. If you enter a previous challenge, I will enter your name x 1. I will enter your name twice for every week you post a project for the currant challenge. In other words, you get bones points for playing along with in the currrant week.

4. Use any stamp set/supplies you like (excluding SU!, Close To My Heart, other direct sales companies).

5. Your post should indicate that you have created your project for this challenge and include a link to the challenge in your post.

6. I am not able to ship internationally. So while I welcome international players to participate, for fun, please know that I can not enter you in the drawing for the RAK.

To view older challenges, click link below! Please use the Mr. Linky that applies to the challenge you are participating in. Good Luck! Here is the link for all the Challenges : Creative Challenges

I look forward to seeing what you come up with for today's challenge. Have a safe and wonderful holiday !!

I realized I forgot Mr. Linky ... again. Sorry. I got an email from someone who has created a beautiful card with paper pleats and just wanted to post a link, so you can check it out! It's gorgeous !! I thought it might inspire you! Check this one out!!

Crazy 4 Cards Class #2

Yesterday I got a delivery from TAC. I had ordered Friendship Strips and couldn't wait to play with the set this morning. I was having so much fun I decided to create another Class! You can check the set out at the link above. All of the stamps used on the 3 cards for the class are from the set except for the 2 sentiments "Happy Birthday" and "Thank You". Friendship Strips $21.95. Check out how versatile the set is on these cards.

I also wanted to design a class that used ink colors from 1 Palette Set. I chose Cezanne. This Spot 4-Pack includes Bourdeaux, Prussian Blue, Jardin Moss, and French Lilac. I have linked you to the larger pads because the spot size are not available online. The 4-Spots are $7.95.

Card #1 is a utilizes basic technique of stamping directly on a white card and adding a piece of ribbon. I stepped it up a bit by adding Pink Stickles in the flower centers. I decided to focus on the boys for Card #2. What do you think?? I stepped this one up with layering. I also stepped up the Scor-pal technique on this one. We will be scoring diagonally every 1/2" to create a grid to guide us in stamping our argyle pattern. I use 2 of the strips from the set on this one.

With card #3 I went to a girly design and increased the layering. A little more advanced and a little more work on this one. But I think you will like the results. I added 2 more tools on this one as well : Marvy Uchida Scalloped Square Punch and Deckled Sissors. I also used a Fiskars border punch. That cute brown flower is from one of the new Bitty Blossom floral sets. I added Lavender Stickles to the center of these flowers.

I used the Score-pal on each of these cards. I gotta tell ya this is the most used tool I own now. I love it! Place an order for $100.oo in product and you qualify for one 1/2 price item. Wouldn't that be the perfect product to use for your 1/2 price item !!!

That puts it at $22!!! (unfortunately this does not apply to online orders) I don't know of anywhere else you can get a Score-pal for that low rate!!!

If you are not sure if you like it, then come to class and give it a try. It's difficult to see in these photo's, but I used it as a border on Cards #1 & #3, and diagonally on Card #2. It gives a project that finished look and is so fast and easy to use.

If you are interested in signing up to take this class or would like to host a this class with some friends, give me a call. 874-7741

The winner for June is KIM Y. CONGRATS CHICK !!!

So glad you played along!! KIM will be recieving this Cute as a Bug stamp set!! I just want thank everyone who played along this month! Especially Kim Sears who played 3 times.

It's becoming alot of work to go back and look to see who played along with all the old challenge. o for July 1 will only be giving away a prize ffr those who lin me forany of June / July challenges, ... and if you play along with a July challenge, I will enter your name twice.

So make sure you check back every Saturday for the new challenges !!

Everyone is welcome to play, but please be aware I can not mail a RAK internationally. Sorry.

Crazy 4 Cards Class !! NEW STAMPS !!

Good Morning! I need to start off by apologizing for not getting my Sneak Peak uploaded Sunday. It just wasn't meant to happen. But I'm excited to show those of you who STILL have not recieved your New TAC Catalogs my SNEAK PEAK today. Isn't this a cute little set !! I have no idea what the name of the set is yet because I don't have my Catalog yet as well. So I decided to call it Chicks and Stuff. It's 6 images, no sentiments. So I decided to create my own word collages to match. I hope you like the 3 cards I have created in this post. I liked them so much I decided to offer them as a CRAZY 4 CARDS CLASS. So give me a call today, or email me if you are interested in hosting this class in your home with friends or taking this class at my home.

Phone 874-7741 or email melisa.waldorf@yahoo.com

CARD #1

Cute little Umbrella image. On this one we will create the umbrella top as a paper peicing. All parts are pre-cut for you. All you have to do is stamp the umbrella, cut the top and assemble all the peices. Do you have a friend you would like to give this one too??

CARD #2

This one is a little more femine. The sentiment is somewhat generic, so you could add Happy Birthday or Thankyou on the inside. You will stamp the coffee cup on water color paper for this one and get to play with the Lyra Watercolor Crayons. I like to offer different techniques for you to try in my classes, so you can get a feel for what your favorite is. You will also cut the heart out of book paper using a template I drew. There is a little more work for you with this one. But I think it is worth it !

The close-up reveals that you will be using the book awl to poke holes for a few little cross-stitches.

CARD #3

Here is the last one in this set. The background paper is a free digi download from the TAC HOME PAGE. You are free to download these freebies as well. I love the polka dots. I hope they offer more free downloads like this. On this card you will stamp the chicks directly on the patterned paper, color yellow, apply a small amount of glue and sprinkle with yellow fun flock !! I couldn't resist ! The sentiment on this one is a little generic as well. You can write on the inside "that it's your birthday" or whatever else comes to mind.


This class will be sooooo much fun, especially for you since I supply EVERYTHING and you go home with 3 cuties !

So give me a call today and find out how you can book or attend a class.

Purchase this set and I will include a free worksheet with photo's of these cards and 3 others !

Sneak Peak & Creative Challenge #

I really like this set!

So glad it is added to the new Catalog. You will be able to purchase this set as of July 1 !

Check out the sample I created with it today. Don't forget to hop over to Barb and Laurie's Blogs to see what they are adding to their Sneak Peak Reveal Post !

We are adding another Demo to today's blog hop as well.

Stop by and see what Deb Miller has created with some of the new images from the Catalog as well!
I decided to use it for today's Creative Challenge as well.

Today's Creative Challenge #13 is to create a project using watercolor paper and a watercolor background technique.

There are different kinds of watercolor techniques you could try. You can use watercolor paint, watercolor crayons, or an ink pad. If you know of any other watercolor background techniques, I would love to see them !

I chose to do a watercolor technique that requires to to apply ink to a non-absorbant surface, spray it with water, then pick up the watercolor with paper. See tutorial of how I created my background below.

I used VersaMagic ink because it mixes well with water. I added a couple of Brilliance ink pads because they add shimmer. I pounced ink onto my re-usable non-stick craft sheet. It is perfect for this type of project because it is heat resistent, water proof, and non-stick. Very easy to clean up with a wet paper towel between colors.

Spritz with water. Then use the edge of the paper to move the ink and water around a little, mixing it. Now begin appling the ink to your watercolor paper by pouncing the paper into the ink puddle. Dry with a heat gun. Your first run will look pretty smoothly shaded. Now continue the process a couple of times to obtain an uneven look. I did the process multiple times until all the ink was absorbed into the paper (didn't want to waste it). And found as the puddle became spots of ink here and there on the craft sheet, I was able to get that splattered look.

For the green half of the background I applied VersaMagic Spanish Olive and just a little Brilliance Perlescent Olive. I liked the color of the Spanish Olive best, but wanted some sparkle, so the P.Olive gave it some. On the purple half, I started with just the VersaMagic Purple Hydrangea, completes the process. Then decided to layer over it some with the sligtly darker and shimmery Brilliance Pearlescent Crimson. I really like the variation of color I ended up with. Sometimes I just sit and play with creating backgrounds on 4.25 x 5.5" pieces of paper for fun. Then I store them in a basket by my work station for future card making.

To finish the card I just stamped the 1 flower image from the set multiple times with Brilliance Moonlight White. I used a mask along the bottom of the green, so that the stems remained even at the bottom. I had plenty of excess space below and above the images, so I trimed off some of the paper, so that I could create the contrasting borders shown on the card. As you can see, I used a scalloped border punch along the bottom with the purple strip and deckle sissors along the top. This match's better than mounting it on cardstock. And I didn't have to search for the perfect shades of cardstock to match either. I distressed the edges with Moonlight White and then Palettee Burnt Umber and adhered as shown on the card!! The background patterned paper is by DCWV.

What do you think??

Do you like the set?

Do you like the technique??

This is the last Creative Challenge of the month!

You still have time to play along. You have til 8pm June 30 to post your entries using Mr. Linky to qualify for my drawing for a RAK ! Happy Stamping and I'll see you tomorrow with another Sneak Peak!

Sneak Peaks from the New Catty!!

Hi ladies. Some of our TAC demonstrators are at Seminar right now, checking out the new catty!! I'm sooooo jealous. I'm at home stalking my mailbox waiting for mine to arrive. So before Mischelle and the other gals at corporate took off for Seminar, a couple of us got permission to share some sneak peaks with you!! A few items to wet your appetite so to speak. Myself, Barb and Laurie W were blessed to be sent a few of the new sets in advance, to create some projects for Seminar. So we would like to share a few of the new images with you while your waiting for your catty. I'm not sure what they are sharing with you, hopefully we chose different sets. Barb and Laurie are at Seminar and scheduled their post before leaving. We will post our Sneak Peaks daily through Sunday!!

So with that being said, here is mine for the today!

This is just one of the images from this set. They didn't give us the name. The patterned paper is non-TAC (DCWV). I used the Lyra Watercolor Crayons to color the cups. I typed the sentiment on my computer. I think this may be a new trend for me. There are a total of 6 images in this set and it includes the 2 below as well ! No sentiments in this set, just images. I really like this set, possibly because I love chicks! It's a cute little set!

So hop on over to Barb and LaurieW 's blogs and see what they have to share!

And make sure you plan to stop back by tomorrow!!

Patriotic Card

Stamptacular Sunday posted a challenge for "red, white, and blue ... and a star too" today. I decided to play along. 4th of July will be here before we know it !! Are you ready to Celebrate ?? I started displaying my patriotic home decor a couple of weeks ago. I hope to have some time to create a Patriotic Home Decor project before the 4th.

If you get a chance, hop over to Stamptacular Sunday and play along!!