From the Mouths of Babes....

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So, this past week, my sister and brother-in-law celebrated their (gasp!) 16th anniversary and, as a result, my almost-seven-year-old niece Leighton and I got to spend some good quality "jenny" time together!  (my two nieces are the only people on the planet who are allowed to call me Jenny...)  We had a sleepover that involved very little sleep -- we went for fro-yo, completed an ultra-cool art project, spent definitively more time than was absolutely necessary on our get-ready-for-bed rituals, and then stayed up way later than mommy would have approved of....

Ahhh....  The joys of being an aunt!  :)

Well, the next morning, Leighton woke me up at the wee crack o' dawn to inform me that she wanted to make a card...  She didn't know for whom, or for what occasion, but she had a morning of card-making in her sights!  I reminded her that her mommy's birthday was coming up, readied myself (and my craft room) for the tornado that is Leighton's arrival, and we set out on our mission....

Leighton dug through all of my stamps and emerged with a handful of treasures (very few of which would have actually ever worked together on a project!) which we narrowed down to her favorite three.  She selected her patterned papers, and the card-making commenced!

Here's what we ultimately came up with:

I helped with the design and stamping/masking, but Leighton cut all the pieces, inked all the edges, colored all the images and pearls, and applied stickles for that extra bling!  She even drew free-handed the puffs of air (though she called them "spit swirls") where the bird is blowing out her candles!

I asked her if I could share her card on my blog and she said "Sure!"  And then I asked her if she had a tip to share on how to create the Perfect Birthday Card and here it is:  "Pick a bird stamp and then pick a hat stamp and then pick a candle stamp and then STAMP IT!"  Well, there it is, folks -- straight from the mouths of babes!  :)

Thanks for stopping by!  Hope you like our "Bird-day" card -- here's hoping somewhere in your life there is a little one that keeps you on your toes, too!  :)

You've Got (bird-)Mail!

Pin It So, I've been doing this blog thing for a couple of months now, and while I'm still the "newbie" in most areas of the blog-o-sphere, there have been a few people who have not only offered words of encouragement and support, but who have also provided an endless amount of inspiration.  Virginia Lu of "Yes, Virginia" (which my mother tells me is from a song! :) is one of those people.

I originally was introduced to her work thru the Flickr Hero Arts group and quickly became an admirer.  Virginia shows no fear in attempting new techniques and her approach to blogging is honest and real and (often) very funny.  I appreciate that!

Anywho, Virginia often features pics and anecdotes of her super-talented kids and recently decided to host a challenge on her blog inspired by some photos her daughter had taken.  Check out the post here.  The challenge is a Rainbow theme.  I decided to use the color theme and send some encouragement of my own  -- so here we are --  Yes, Virginia....  I'm Inspired!

Thanks for stopping by...  I appreciate you and your kind words and I will be back later today with another little something I'm super-excited about!  Wishing you clear skies and much happiness today!  :)

ETA:  My mom thinks this looks like one of the "Angry Birds"  -- haha!  There will be no sling-shot dive-bombing attempts made on you or your residence as a result of viewing this post!  :)

Supplies:

• Papers: Echo Park "Hello Summer," Neenah "Solar White" cardstock
• Inks:  Memento "Rich Cocoa," Copic Markers, Tim Holtz Distress Ink "Vintage Photo"
• Dies:  Spellbinders Nestabilities "Labels 8"
• Stamps: Stamps by Judith (bird and envelope), Hero Arts "Everyday Sayings" (sentiment)
• Prima Flowers, ribbons by May Arts, seam binding, buttons, adhesives, "Diamond" stickles

Spot On!

Pin It I was so excited to get a little crafty-time in the other day that I was able to knock out two cards in one session!!!  (Those of you who can "knock out" waaaaayyyy more than that in a single sitting, please keep the snickering to a minimum!  :)

I am excited to be playing along with the latest RetroSketches challenge, 'cuz it's a simple one (my favorite kind) which leaves it open for interpretation (woo-hoo! :)  This one was a lot of fun for me -- I got to play with a couple of fun techniques and I really kinda like how it all turned out...  :)

Wanna see?  Ok, here it is:

It's kinda cute, no??  :)  I just love this giraffe and by "masking," I think I was able to give her quite a little personality!!

Here is the inspiration sketch:

As you can see, I made mine a tall, skinny card (3.5"x9") and moved the sentiment along the left edge, but left everything else where it is on the sketch....

I hope you like it -- clearly it was a fun one to make!  Thanks for stopping by!


Supplies:

• Stamps:  Giraffe, bow, square window - Stamps by Judith; flowers - Hero Arts "Layered Flowers"
• Inks:  Memento "Rich Cocoa," Copic markers & sepia multiliner 
• Papers:  Neenah "Desert Storm," Copic Xpress It Blending Card, My Mind's Eye "Fiddlesticks"
• Dies:  Memory Box "Round Buttons," Sizzix Bigz "Flowers 3-D"
• Ribbon, Glossy Accents, Rock Candy Stickles