Spring Bunnies

Hello friends & followers!  Today I have a card for the latest Wags 'n Whiskers Challenge - Say It With Flowers using their adorable "Some Bunny Loves You' digi, the Week 200 Sketch from Sketch Saturday, and some pretty papers from DCWV's Spring Fling stack:

 (Aren't these bunnies the sweetest?!!)  This actually was quite a challenge for me as I do not normally make many floral cards with lots of blossoms on them, so for me - this is a lot!  I tried to color them in using Copic markers to match the teenie blossoms on the background DP - can you see them?  This card also fulfills the requirements of the following additional challenges:

• CMC Copic Challenge Group - Anything Goes w/Copic markers,
• Paper and Such Online Challenge - Spring or Easter, 
• Our Craft Lounge Challenge 111 - Inspiration Photo Challenge (of a wicked cute baby bunny and flowers - check it out!)
• Stamp, Scrap & Doodle - Bunnies,
• Cutie Pie Challenge 14 - Think Pink w/Rabbits (for every 50 cards linked a donation will be made to 'Just Giving for Breast Cancer' - so link up people!),
• Crafty Purple Frog Challenge 37 - Anything Goes, 
• Partytime Tuesday Challenge 61 - Anything Goes,
• Ribbon Carousel Challenge 46 - Anything Goes w/ribbon or twine, 
• Outlawz Copic Challenge March 30 - Anything Goes w/Copic Markers, 
• Inky Impressions Challenge 52 - Flower Power, and
• Daisy Doodles Creative Challenge 56 - Spring w/digi image.  

Thanks so much for stopping by to see my card!  I hope you will be able to play along with Wags 'n Whiskers 'Say It With Flowers' challenge - you have 2 weeks, WnW images are not required, but if you do use one you are entered into a second drawing for a free WnW digi, isn't that great?!!  Happy Friday!
~Crafty Math Chick

Hoppy Easter

Hello friends & followers!  I have been really bad about making Easter cards this year, so when I saw My Time Made Easy;s Pretty Patterns Sketch 53 I had the inspiration I needed to make this card using Taylored Expressions' 'Hello Spring" set:

I have a cute little 'Hoppy Easter!' sentiment on the inside.  I like this pretty lime sheer ribbon with a satin edge that I scored at the Offray-Berwick ribbon outlet in Hagerstown, MD - seriously, if you live remotely near this place, and you like ribbon, it is worth the trip.  I added some orange flowers (something I rarely use) to give it an additional springy feel and added pearl centers.  After a tutorial using Bic Mark-It alcohol markers on Stamp TV I figured I would give them a try and see how they measured up to Copics.. not bad, but I don't think they blend quite as easily.  Might not be a bad option for folks on a serious budget.  This card also fulfills the requirements of the following additional challenges:

• Paper and Such Online Challenge - a Spring or Easter card,
• Inky Impressions Challenge 52 - Flower Power,
• Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge 162 - Easter,
• Sisterhood of Crafters Challenge - Celebrating Easter,
• Paper Sundaes Challenge 113 - Spring Blossoms,
• Stamp Scrap & Doodle Challenge - Bunnies,
• Really Reasonable Ribbon Challenge 44 - Spring w/ribbon, and
• Our Craft Lounge Challenge 110 - Spring Things. 

Thank you for stopping by to view my creations!  Have a great night!
~Crafty Math Chick

Not Skipping Skipping Stones Design's Sketch Challenge

Hello friends & followers!  I hope you are well.  I have not participated in a Skipping Stones Design Sketch Challenge in several weeks, and I have missed them.  When I first saw this week's sketch SSD120:

nothing came to mind at all... until today of course... the last day of the challenge.  Then, once I was playing with the sketch, a flood of ideas came to mind!  Does that ever happen to any of you?  Here is the first card I came up with:

Simple no?  The only difficult part of this card was finding buttons in the right colors & size.  I thought the SSD 'Healing Wings' "Friends give color to our lives" sentiment was perfect for this card, no?  This card also fulfills the following additional challenges:

• Shopping Our Stash Challenge 44 - Buttons +/or Bows (I obviously chose buttons, LOL),
• Stamp-n-Doodle - Let's See Some Circles or Ovals (well, the buttons are circles), and
• One Stop Craft Challenge - CAS.

Once I made this card I had another idea to use the music notes and the pretty bird from 'Heartsong' to make this card:

Figured it was a pretty one layer card, very postage friendly right?  And that bird is so pretty it really doesn't need a tons of embellishing...  This card also fulfills the requirements of the following additional challenges:

• Paper Creations Ink Challenge 21 - Things with Wings,  
• Craft Your Passion Challenge 103 - Monochromatic cards, and
• One Stop Craft Challenge 175 - CAS cards.

     Thanks for taking the time to stop by and see my cards.  Have a great night!
~Crafty Math Chick

Not Your Typical Green Card

Hello friends & followers!  Have a quickie card for you today - Ty baby seems to finally be improving so I am trying to rush and get ready to see a matinee of The Hunger Games (LOVED the book!  Guess I am into dystopias, is that bad?) in the hopes the kiddies' folks won't take them out of school early to see the movie and the theater won't be completely packed.  I created this card for the latest Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge 89 using their Nordic Winter and Vintage Ornaments 2011 sets & Nestabilities:

I just love Nordic patterns!  They remind me of the sweater we used to wear as we snuggled by the fireplaces at the ski lodges and cafes in Vermont, ahhh... relaxing, happy times.  I just love sets that coordinate with Nestabilities dies too.  This card also fulfills the requirements of the following additional challenges:

• Stamp Scrap 'n Doodle Saturday - Green & White Challenge, and 
• The Crazy Challenge - Go Green.  

I think I was expected to create a St. Patrick's Day card or a spring card with these green challenges but I went in the opposite direction with Christmas - HA!  LOVE thinking outside the box.  Waaaaaay behind on my holiday card count for the year though - only 5 cards so far, should be up to 25 by now, but with everything going on I don't think I have made that many cards total this year yet...  Bad stamper!  
     Well, that is all I have for you today... so far... if we get shut out of The Hunger Games I will have plenty of time to stamp, HA!  Thanks for stopping by to seeing my cards and read my ramblings.  Happy Friday!
~Crafty Math Chick 

Mama Duck

     Hello friends & followers!  just about to squeak out one card for you this evening.  I used My Time Made Easy Pretty Patterns Sketch #52 and this sweet 'Mama Duck' image from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps to create this card:

I shaded a bit under their wings with a Copic marker and added some iridescent velvet ribbon from JoAnn's over some iridescent lace (it was a gift, I wish I knew where they purchased it, it's beautiful!  Much prettier than it looks in this photo) and layers some Prima flowers with a bright yellow brad poked through the centered to complete the sketch.  It is going to be my Mom's Mother's Day card (reminds us of the award winning 'Make Way for the Ducklings!' story with the Mama & ducklings) as soon as I can find a sentiment with a font I like.  This card also fulfills the requirements of the following additional challenges:

• Annabelle Stamps Challenge - Say It in Yellow & White,

• Paper Creations Ink Challenge - Things with Wings, and 
• Sassy Studio's Dare to be Sassy Thursday Challenge 116 - Monochromatic. 

     Thanks for stopping by!  Have a good night!
~Crafty Math Chick

Ellies and Tigers and Cards, Oh My!

     Welcome back friends & followers!  Two posts from me today, impressive no?  I have two more cards to show you today.  The first was made for a Stamp TV Challenge to CASE DT Member Lee Murphy, a daunting task if you have seen her uber impressive gallery.  I selected to CASE this card: 'Wild Elephant' using Theresa Momber's new 'Wild About You' set which I LOOOOVE because I really love elephants.  In fact, when I saw this card by Lee I was SOLD!  So, here is my card based on this one:

You are supposed to change at least 2 things about the card for this challenge, so I swapped out the background patterned paper (mine is by DCWV - it has orange glitter on it, not sure that shows up in the photo), changing the ribbon to this pretty, gold, glittery, netted ribbon that I picked up at Michaels in the holiday section (Lee likes glitter) and I didn't have room for the sentiment so instead I attached some pretty bronze bling (Lee also likes bling) in a favorite 'Lee arrangement' in the corner.    My section with the silhouette elephants is a little smaller as well.  The adorable ellie was stamped on the orange oval die cut and then again on Gina K. Luxury cardstock and colored with Copic markers (C00, C1 & C3) and cut out and paper pieced onto the orange oval.  I like how the cute ear sticks out a little bit this way.  I hope I did Lee proud.  This card also fulfills the requirements of the following additional challenges:

• Sundays with Crissy Challenge 27 - Animals,
• Stamp & Create March Month Challenge - Paper Piecing,
• Challenge Up Your Life 65 - Zoo Animals,
• CMC Copic Challenge Group Challenge 39 - Anything Goes w/Copic Markers,
• Inky Impressions Challenge 50 - You're My Pot of Gold (use gold (ribbon) & bling (lower left corner)),
• Card Crafter's Circle Challenge 14 - Gold, and
• Heidi's Hobbystugu Challenge - make a card where an animal is the focus.  

     My second card was created using My Time Made Easy Pretty Patterns Sketch 50 and the cute 'Cubbin' Around' image from Meljen's Designs:

(aren't they cuuuuuute?!!)  I used Prismacolor pencils and OMS to color in the tiger cubs and Copic Markers (C00, C1, C00) to shade around them (wanted to see what it looked like - do you like that effect?  I am still deciding).  The wild B&W striped background paper is from a new Recollections stack by Michaels and then I embossed a few Only Orange strips with my Animal Prints EF and tied a narrow, black stain ribbon around it to complete the sketch.  This card also fulfills the requirements of the following additional challenges:

• Kaboodles Doodles Challenge 111 - How Cute Is That? (I think the tigers cubs are wicked cute),
• Desert Island Crafters Challenge 27 - They listed 10 items of which you had to incorporate at least 3 - my card has (1) orange, (2) grass, and (3) colored pencil coloring,
• Sundays with Crissy Challenge 27 - Animals, 
• CMC Copic Challenge Group Challenge 39 - Anything Goes w/Copic Markers, and
• Heidi's Hobbystugu Challenge - make a card where an animal is the focus.   

     Well, that's all I have for you today my friends.  Thanks so much for stopping by to see my creations and read my ramblings.  Be sure to stay tuned, blog candy will be forthcoming in the near future!  ;)
~Crafty Math Chick

Stamp TV 3rd Anniversary Celebration

     Hello friends & followers!  Hubby was kind enough to watch Ty baby today so I was able to steal upstairs and STAMP!  YEAH!  I was able to make four cards, WOO HOO!  It felt soooooo good to be stamping again!!  The first card I have for your viewing pleasure was made for Cat Tidwell's Anniversary Challenge to Distress Newsprint.  If you haven't checked out the videos at Stamp TV yet Gina has the BEST distressing tutorial I have seen anywhere!  I used Sketch 257 by Card Positioning Systems and created this card using Gina's 'Cool Beans' set:

I crimped some kraft cardstock and sponged it and around the image to accentuate the distressed look.  I topped it off with this cool Offray ribbon that reminds me of steam coming off of hot cocoa and some bronze brads around the mat for a little added texture and shine.    This card also fulfills the requirements of the following additional challenges:
Sassy Studio's Dare to Be Sassy Thursday Challenge 116 - Monochromatic,
Partytime Tuesdays Challenge 59 - Monochromatic,
The Pink Elephant Challenge 140 - 'Get Krafty"  (use kraft cardstock),
Make It Monday with The Kraft Journal - Anything Goes w/kraft cardstock, and
Shopping Our Stash Challenge 43 - Food & Beverage.
     Card one, clap clap done!  My second card was created for Deb Felts' Stamp TV Anniversary Challenge to make a card using the chalkboard technique and using My Time Made Easy's Sketch 51 along with 'Stenciled Spring' by Gina K. Designs to create this card:

     Not really in love with how this one turned out, but art is subjective and all cards need some love right?  My white ink didn't smudge this time, but I had trouble getting all of the pastel chalk off.  And the colors look off here, I used Real Red, Ballet Blue (with metallic ribbons over them) and Sage Shadow, which kind of blends into the background.  I added yellow brads to the flower centers for a pop of color.  I punched some 5/8" circles of black cardstock and added some blue buttons with maraschino twine threaded through them.  This card also fulfills the requirements of Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge to make a thank you card.
     I have a few more cards to post, and all the stamping and only makes me want to increase the size of my upcoming blog candy because stamping makes me so happy, so be sure to check back!
~Crafty Math Chick

Kiss Me - I Lost the Sentiment Stamp

     Hello friends & followers!  Sorry I have not had the opportunity to post my blogaversary candy yet - it is coming - I need Ty to finish his medication and get back to a normal schedule then catch up on a little needed sleep, then I hope to wow you with some crafty candy.  ;)
     Today's card is my DT sample for Wags 'n Whiskers' Challenge to 'Use Green' (I hope you will get to play along!  WnW images are not needed, though we certainly love to see them, and you could win a WnW stamp!  You have 2 weeks to play along!).  I selected Wags 'n Whiskers' adorable 'Steal a Kiss' digi image with the thought of adding a 'Kiss Me - I'm Irish' sentiment - which I specifically purchased from the $1 bin at A.C. Moore just for this purpose.  So... it comes time to post my challenge sample and of course, this sentiment stamp could not be found - ARGH!  (You know I am going to find it today or next week, right?).  Anyway, here is my card, I used the Midnight Madness March Monthly Madness Sketch (MMSC136), I really liked the symmetric nature and the balance of it:

I used Copic markers to color the children in with pale skin and red hair and gave them blue & green clothing to match the Old Olive (meant to use Garden Green, oops!) and Not Quite Navy cardstock (would you believe this is my first time ever using this color?  Looks good together, no?) and these pretty blue teal pearls I found at A.C. Moore... you know... when I was busy looking for that sentiment that didn't get used?  Sigh...
     This card also fulfills the following additional challenges as well:

• Fab 'n Funky Challenge 112 - Luck of the Irish,
• Digi Doodle Shop's Best Challenge 99 - People,
• Digistamps4Joy Challenge 38 - a predominantly green card,
• One Stitch at a Time Challenge 104 - Use a digi,
• Stamp 'n Doodle Challenge - Happy St. Patrick's Day,
• Pile It On Challenge 11 - Shades of Green, and 
• Play Date Cafe Color Challenge 123:  (check out this pretty inspiration picture to accompany the challenge)

     Thanks for stopping by!  Be sure to check back for my blog candy!  It will be posted as soon as I am able.
~Crafty Math Chick

Sunny Days

Hello again!  I am back with another card I made for the VSN challenges, this one by Jen to make a card using sunny colors.  Can't get much sunnier than yellow so I borrowed the sketch from Sketch & Stash Challenge 82 and 'Bee Happy' by There She Goes Clear Stamps and some Echo Park patterned paper from their Walk in the Park collection and created this card:

I just love this happy, smiling bee.  I created a short paper pierced flight trail for him and created his hive using Stampin' Up!'s word window punch chomped down a bit, sponged with Summer Sun ink, and stacked thusly.  The ribbon was a freebie thank you gift from The Cat's Pajama's - isn't it perfect for this card?  This card also fulfills the requirements of the following challenges:

• Fab 'n Funky Challenge 111 - Mellow Yellow,
• Colour Create Challenge 91 - yellow, grey, black and white (I added a wee touch of grey to the bee's wings and added some shimmer with a Atyou Copic Spice pen, does it show in the photo?),
• The Pink Elephant Challenge 138 - Let's See those Layers, and
• Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes.

Thanks so much for stopping by to see my creations - I should have more for you tomorrow!  Have a good Sunday!
~Crafty Math Chick

My First VSN Challenge

     Hello friends & followers!  Thank you all so much for everyone who posted their well wishes and prayed for our sweet little furbaby.  I am happy to report his back pain does seem to have abated but the meds are causing a side effect of hyperurination (sorry if that is TMI), so in addition to sleeping with him downstairs so he won't feel alone, he is waking him Mommy up every 2-3 hours to go outside (we don't have a fenced in backyard in this house).  I would do anything to keep him from being in pain but man, I am starting to get really tired...  LOL!  And now that he is feeling better I am in the process of putting together a nice package of blog candy to celebrate my First Blogaversary and will get that photographed and posted early next week as well, so stay tuned!!
     Back to crafty stuff, today I am hostessing a VSN Challenge at SCS for the first time!  (That is virtual stamping night at splitcoaststampers.com for you newbies - challenges are posted and you have to complete a card according to the challenge in 45 minutes - you have until Monday night to upload photos though, so you can space them out as you wish and chat along with some stamping buddies instead of crafting every minute of it.  I have met some really great friends during past VSNs - if you have not tried it, I highly recommend it!). The theme is 'Spring has Sprung' so my challenge is to come up with a card that has an element that begins with each letter of the word 'SPRING" - something beginning with S, something beginning with P, etc.  Here is the card I created:

and my 'SPRING' is:
S - sentiment
P - puppy 
R - ribbon
I - ink
N - navy cardstock
G - Glossy Accents (applied to the cute pooch's nose from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps' 'I Woof You!' set.  I colored this adorable little guy with Copic markers, paper pieced his bandana, and cut him out and popped him up with dimensionals.  I would have liked to have embellished more, but the coloring, cutting and unclogging the Glossy Accents ate up quite a bit of the 45 minutes.  I can always go back and jazz him up a bit later right?  In addition to MAR12VSNG, this card fulfills the requirements of the following additional challenges:

• Sunday's with Crissy Challenge 27 - Animals, 
• Paper and Such Challenge - Paper Piecing,
• Stamp and Create March Challenge - Paper piecing, 
• Color Me Creative Classroom Challenge 38 - Fuzzy, Wuzzy Animals colored w/Copics,
• For Fun Challenges - Woof Woof Meow (use a dog or cat on your card),
• Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge 196 - Make a Masculine Card ,
• Digi Doodle Shop's Best Challenge 98 - Animals,
• Chocolate, Coffee & Cards Challenge - Feathers & Fur, 
• Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes, and 
• I borrowed the sketch is borrowed from Operation Write Home Sketch 111.

     Thank you all for stopping by to view my creation and read my ramblings.  I hope you will consider taking part in my challenge and/or some of the other VSN challenges at SCS (there will 15 of them total - something for everyone!) if you have some time this weekend or Monday (the upload deadline isn't until Monday evening).  Don't forget to check back next week for my blog candy!  Have a great weekend!
~Crafty Math Chick

Blogaversary Prayers

Hello friends & followers, I had originally intended to post a big picture of some blog candy that I was excited to give away in celebration of my first blogaversary today, yep, blogging for a whole year, can you believe it?  But my sweet little furbaby is having some back problems again and I am so worried about him I have not been able to take my eyes off him to take any pictures.  Instead, because he means the world to me, I am going to ask if you are the kind of person that prays, that you put in a kind word for Ty to feel better soon.  We are PRAYING that we can help him with pain management this time and that he won't need more surgery.  Thanks in advance everyone.  I will post some blog candy when he is showing some improvement to celebrate.  I hope you are all well and having a great day.
~Crafty Math Chick

My First Tent Card!

Hello everyone!  I am so excited to show you my first ever tent card today!  I was inspired to make it by last week's Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Digi Challenge to make a tent card using a digi and thought it was going to be really complicated but it wasn't and it was fun!  Here is the tutorial on how to make tent cards from Splitcoaststampers.com.  I used 'Hey Chickie' by Wags 'n Whiskers for their 'Spring Break' Challenge and created this card:

The papers are from DCWV's Flower Showers mat stack.  This card also fulfills the following additional challenges:

• Cute Card Thursday Challenge 206 - Signs of Spring (baby chicks are signs of spring right?),
• Do You Stack Up Challenge 61 - Things with Wings (baby chick - check!),
• Repeat Impressions' DCC229 - Spring with Pastel Colors, 
• Paperplay Challenges Week 9 - Something Old, Something New (had this cardstock in my stash for a while, the cute digi is new),
• Delightful Challenges - Spring Colors, and
• Pile It On Challenge 9 - Fun Folds (not the most exotic fun fold, but I had fun making this tent card and there are a few more folds than a traditional card, right?)

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Hope you will be able to play along with our 'Spring Break' challenge as well - you could win a cute Wags 'n Whiskers image.  WnW stamps are not required, but if you do use them you are put into an extra drawing for a WnW digi - isn't that terrific?!!  Have a great day!
~Crafty Math Chick