SNSDC55 ~ Thank You

Hello Everyone!  Time for a new Sweet 'n Sassy Digi Challenge!  This week is easy peasy - make a thank you card.  Here is mine using Watermelon Cocoa:

I printed little Cocoa and his watermelon slice onto Gina K. Luxury Cardstock, colored him in with Copic markers and cut him out (I tried so hard to cut around his tail, but my hands were shaking so badly I just couldn't do it - sorry Cocoa!! - and opted for a tail of embroidery floss instead) and attached him to a big circle cut with a Spellbinders Nestabilities Circle die scored and folded in half to create the 'watermelon'.  The seeds are Sticko stickers and I just typed up the 'Thanks a Melon!' sentiment and printed it onto Melon Mambo cardstock.  I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I really like this little card (I do not always like the cards I make, but I am pretty fond of this little guy).
     Hope you will stop by the blog and see what other beautiful creations my fellow Teamies came up with and that you will have a change to play along with us.  You don't even need to use a SNSS digi image (though we sure love to see them) - any digi image will do!
     Happy Friday Everyone!
~Crafty Math Chick

Happy Birthday Jessica!!

YAAY!  Today's post is to honor one of my favorite people in the entire world - Jessica Knutsen, the owner of There She Goes Clear Stamps.  Her actualy birthday isn't for a few days, but since this week is sneak peek week for TSG (make sure you check it out!!  Jessica gives away the set sneaked to a random commenter, isn't she sweet/!!) we are celebrating a little bit early, besides, that makes it feel like your birthday last longer, right?  ;)
     So here is my card for Jessica made with Birdie Wishes and some pretty paper from My Mind's Eye Jack & Jill stack:

I just love the cute birdies in this set, and this patterned paper coordinated so nicely with Ridinghood Red, Daffodil Delight, Soft Sky and Bermuda Bay.  I was going to add some Liquid Pearls or Stickles to the raised dots in the ribbon tag die cut, but I was afraid I would mess it up, so I left it as is, hopefully Jessica will like it anyway.  This card also fulfills the requirements of the following challenges:

• The Paper Shelter Challenge 64 - Birthday Cards with a Sentiment,
• Crazy 4 Challenges 137 - Birthday Card,
• Paper and Such Online Anniversary Challenge - Make a Birthday Card, 
• Sundays with Crissy Challenge 29 - Things with Wings,
• Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge 169 - Three Things that Begin with the Same Letter (Birthday, Bird, Bermuda Bay cardstock & ribbon)
• Delightful Challenge - Just Add Ribbon,
• Craft Your Days Away Challenge 45 - All Creatures Great and Small,
• Shopping Our Stash Challenge 52 - Bingo  (I went with the 4th column: patterned paper, blue, sentiment, ribbon & tag - the ribbon is threaded through a Nestabilities Ribbon Tag die cut, so I hope that counts, LOL), and
• Whimsy Inspiration Challenge 39 - Anything Goes.

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog - I hope you will stop by Jessica's Blog and wish her a happy birthday and here is the list of everyone participating in the birthday blog hop so you will know where to head next, and where to begin if you are just joining us...  ;)

~ Crafty Math Chick

Sweet 'n Sassy May Digi Blog Hop

Welcome!  Happy Friday to you!!  It is time for another Sweet `n Sassy Digi Challenge, but today we are very excited to add something more!  Sweet 'n Sassy's DIGI RELEASE BLOG HOP!  WOO HOO!  You should have arrived here from Melinda's blog, if not, you will want to go back to the Sweet 'n Sassy's Digi Challenge Blog.  While you're hopping, be sure to leave some love on each of the blog hop posts…One of the ladies below is a mystery blogger and she will be picking a random winner from the comments on her blog post!!  The winning prize will be the whole May Digi Release!! (The winner will be announced at SNS Digi Challenge Blog on Friday, May 25th.)  This week's challenge was a Recipe: One ribbon, Two gems and Three different colors (plus neutrals) -for some reason, the gems were the most difficult ingredient, I kept wanting to add more...but I digress...  Just a few things to keep in mind as you play....

• Please remember to use digital images ONLY for the challenge.
• You don't have to use SNS digi images to play along but we sure do love when you do!
• Please share a link to your creation using the Linky feature on the challenge blog post (if the link feature is down, please add a link with your comment), and
• When uploading to online galleries, please use keyword SNSDC54.

     Now for my cards!  Those of you who know me know I can be a little indecisive, and I had so many ideas for these new images I could not decide on just one, so I have a bunch of cards for your viewing pleasure today!  The first two are created with the new Baseball Rhubarb.  This first one uses Deconstructed Sketch 50:

I paired Rhubarb up with a sentiment from SNSS' 'Ticket Sentiments' set and since I didn't have a die cut of a bat, I sort of sketched one freehand and then traced it three more times to complete the layout.  This card also fulfills the requirements of the following additional challenges:

• Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge - 3 Things that Begin with the Same Letter (bear, bats, baseball, blue),
• Crafty Creations Challenge 170 - Male Birthday,
• Delightful Challenges - Add a Touch of Ribbon, and 
• Craft Your Days Away Challenge 45 - All Creatures Great and Small.

     But I could not stop here once I saw this week's Sweet Stop Sketch 158:

You might see circles, but I saw baseballs and created this card:

For the baseballs I just punched a bunch of circles in different sizes from white cardstock and used the negative part as a stencil for the red curves before I through it away and then drew in the red stitches.  This card also fulfills the requirements for the following additional challenges:

• Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge - 3 Things that Begin with the Same Letter (bear, bats, baseball, blue),
• Crafty Creations Challenge 170 - Male Birthday,
• Delightful Challenges - Add a Touch of Ribbon, and
• Craft Your Days Away Challenge 45 - All Creatures Great and Small.

   I also have a few cards for you using Baby Block Cocoa Mouse (I just love Cocoa!).  The first, for a baby girl, played on a stacking baby blocks layout:

(had no idea where to put the gems in this one, LOL!  Had originally thought to put one on either side of the 'BABY' sentiment, but there was not enough room).  Can you tell the blocks on the bottom are bigger?  One of the great things about working with digis - you can make them as big or as small as you want, to fit any size!   This card also fulfills the requirements of the following additional challenges:

• Oozak Challenge 2 - Spring Colors w/Copic Markers, 
• Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge - 3 Things that Begin with the Same Letter (baby, blocks, barely banana),
• Delightful Challenges - Add a Touch of Ribbon, and
• Craft Your Days Away Challenge 45 - All Creatures Great and Small.

My second card, for a baby boy, has more of a CAS feel to it, something I have wanted to try with a digi image:

The letters are die cuts cut from Barely Banana, Bashful Blue, and Mint Melody (talk about a blast from the past right?) cardstock and placed next to the 'B" on Cocoa's block, serving as the sentiment and the main image as well.  This card also fulfills the requirements of the following additional challenges:

• CAS-ual Fridays Challenge 53 - CAS with punches or dies (I used both), and
• Cardmadfairy's Digi Challenge 33 - CAS with a Digi Image. 

     So, which one of my cards is your favorite?  ;)  I should mention, in case you are thinking about picking any SNSS digis up in the near future - now is the time!  Korin is having a BIG SALE!!  For every 2 digis you purchase on a single order you get a third one FREE!  And for every 2 clear stamp sets you purchase on a single order you get a third set FREE!  Is this an awesome sale or what?!!

Now, Here is the blog hop list for to see May Digi Release-Recipe Challenge creations...

• SNSS Digi Challenge Blog  
  Cathy Wallington  
  Ceal Pritchett
  Cyndi Bundy  
  Makiko Jones
  Melinda Gleisnner
•  "Crafty Math Chick"
  Patricia Hays
  Stephanie Serrano
  Stephanie Wright 
  Wendy Jordan

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Hope you have a Happy Friday and a Wonderful Weekend!

~Crafty Math Chick

TSG Mother of all Blog Hops 2012

Welcome friends, followers and TSG MOABH-hoppers!  HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all Mothers everywhere - even if all your children have paws like mine!  ;)  Bet you didn't know that TSG's MOABH was the main impetus causing me to create my own blog did you?  So, I am very exciting to be participating again this year.  I was assigned two sets this year; therefore, I have two cards for your viewing pleasure in this post, the first of which is HSH - Hanukkah Additions - I was SO excited when Jessica created a Hanukkah set (there are not a plethora of them out there) and it coordinated with Home Sweet Home as well - bonus!  I used the Stamp School's Geometry Class Sketch from 5-9-12 to create this card:

(Holiday card count... 7?  Man!  That is just dismal!  It should be six times that by this time of year...  I better get cracking!)  I was really dissatisfied with all of my white inks, I always used to have to emboss to get that crisp white look on colored cardstock, and someone suggested I try Colorbox's Frost White.  So I picked one up from A.C. Moore with a coupon and tried it here - I think it looks pretty good!  Note - this is not a fast drying ink, I heat set it so it would not smudge.  What do you think?  In addition to MOABH & the Stamp School sketch challenge, this card also fulfills the requirements of the following additional challenges:

• The Craft Room Challenge - Emboss It (I used the Swiss Dots CB folder for the background), and
• One Stop Craft Challenge - Monochrome.

     The second set I was assigned is one of my all time favorites, Puppy Love (bet you could guess that considering the title of my blog), being the huge dog lover that I am.  I used May's Sketch for You to Try  (SFYTT) to create this card:

Aren't these puppies sweet?!!  This card may end up being a birthday card or a Father's Day card from Ty to his Pop, so I left the sentiment on the front of the card 'Woof!' offset by tiny bone resins and figured on the inside I could right either "that means Happy Birthday in dog" or "that means Happy Father's Day in dog" depending on which occasion I went with.  The Green Galore background is embossed with the Houndstooth (fitting for a canine card, no?  'hounds-tooth' get it?  Hee hee hee!) CB EF, the colorful paw print paper is from a DCWV dog scrapbook stack and I created a strip of DP using the 4 different paw print designs included in the set as well and put some pretty bone ribbon over it.  Then I added a strip of these adorable paw print satin cut outs by May Arts to complete the sketch.  I can never make enough dog cards...

     This card also fulfills the requirements of the following additional challenges:

• Craft Your Days Away Challenge 45 - All Creatures Great and Small, 
• Allsorts Challenge - Week 154 - Card for a Man or Boy, 
• Pixie Dust Studio Challenge 126 - For the Boys,
• Totally Papercrafts Challenge 116 - No Pesky Girls Allowed, and
• The Craft Room Challenge - Emboss It.  

   Thank you so much for stopping by and seeing my creations.  Don't forget to leave some love and comment on as many blogs along the MOABH as you can - you never know which the mystery blog will be for the BIG BIG prize - FREE TSG STAMPS FOR SIX MONTHS!!!  WOWIE!!!  GOOD LUCK and HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!

~Crafty Math Chick

Wags 'n Whiskers Recipe

Hello again!  I am back with my card created for today's new Wags 'n Whiskers Challenge 79 - A Recipe: 1 image, 2 ribbons, 3 patterned papers.  For some reason, this was difficult for me, but I finally came up with this card using Ellie & Squeak:

LOL, little Squeak can't wait to get his tiny paws on that present!  I colored the duo in with Copic markers and used patterned papers from The Paper Studio's 'Birthday Extravaganza' stack (I love the papers in this stack!) - like how the background DP is all presents like the one Ellie has in his trunk?  
     Hope you will play along with us!  You have two weeks to link your creation and you could win a Wags 'n Whiskers stamp of your choice!  Although WnW images are not required, if you DO use one, you are put into a SECOND drawing for a WnW Digi - how sweet is that?!!  Can't wait to see what you create!  
     I have also entered this card in the following additional challenges:

• One Stop Craft Challenge 181 - Celebrations, and
• Card Crafter's Circle Challenge 22 - Rainbow Bright (since I used a rainbow of bright colors in this card).

Have a great day!  :)
~Crafty Math Chick

Gettin' Girlie with Sweet 'n Sassy

Hello friends & followers!  Welcome to my second official post a a member of the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Digi Challenge Design Team (heh heh heh, I love saying that!).  Today's challenge was to Make a Girlie Card Using Digi Images - a challenge for me indeed as I rarely make 'girlie' cards.  I decided to use the cute ladybug from the 'Bitty Bugs' digi accompanied by one of the Ladybug Sentiments and the Sweet Stop SSS157 sketch as well to create this card:

Isn't she a cutie?  I colored her with Copic markers and glammed her up using some light pink rhinestones (do you see the little ones at the top of her antenae?  hee hee hee).  This card also fulfills the requirements of the following additional challenges:

• Sundays with Crissy Challenge 29 - Things with Wings (ladybugs do have wings),
• Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge 168- Pink-a-licious, 
• Glitter Geeks Week 19 - Wings and Things,
• Crafty Mess Challenge 8 - Pink & Cute, 
• Do You Stack Up 71 - Use a Flower, and
• Charisma Cards Challenge 18 - Pink & girlie.

   Hope you will play along with our SNSDC and post a girlie digi creation of your own!  If you stop by a little later you will be able to see my creation for the new Wags 'n Whiskers Challenge posting later this morning - Happy Friday!
~Crafty Math Chick

Where in the World is Candace Pierce?

Hello friends & followers!  Today I wanted to celebrate a very talented friend who recently had her blog yanked away from her and she had to come up with an entirely new name.  As she lost a lot of her followers in the process we want to help spread the word about her new blog address with this little hop.  If you arrived here from Lee Murphy's blog, you are on the right track!  Make sure you  comment on every participant's blog leading up to Candace's NEW blog at the end because there are some prizes that are going to be given away to a random poster on the mystery blog (3 digi's from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps and 3 digis from Meljen's Designs - WOO HOO!) chosen from all the blogs on the hop, so make sure you  comment on all of them for the biggest chance to win!!  Your next stop of the 'Where in the World is Candace Pierce"' hop is Rae Ann's Blog.
  
     While I have your attention, I wanted to share a giveaway going on where you could possible win a set of 12 Touch Twin markers by Shinhan!  They are really cool alcohol markers that blend nicely and come in both a brush tip (the white ones) and a fine tip (the black ones).  I was lucky enough to win a couple as blog candy last and I wish I could afford to add more to my collection.  For a chance to win, check out their giveaway post HERE.  


     I figured I would take this opportunity to post my card for Flashback Friday 23.0 - to repost a pic of your first card made with a butterfly.  Mine is really old, based on a sketch I saw in a old edition of Stampin' Success with the butterfly from 'Shapes & Shadows":

(isn't that layout cool?)  Thanks so much for stopping by!
~Crafty Math Chick

Gonna Take a Sentimental Journey...

Hello friends & followers!  I am honored to be hostessing the first VSN Mini Challenge over at Splitcoaststampers this evening.  The theme of his VSN Is 'Journey's and I was inspired by the song 'Sentimental Journey' to come up with a challenge to make a card where the sentiment is the star.  I created this card:

(please click on the photo for clearer resolution).  I CASEd my friend Candace's card, which can be seen HERE.  I used different patterned papers but used the same layout and the same touching sentiment from There She Goes' 'Angel Mail' set and created some pretty stick pins using her AWESOME tutorial on making stick pins HERE.  (Seriously, once you watch it you are going to want to make stick pins evening, morning and noon - they are pretty and SO much FUN to make!!).  
     This card also fulfills the requirements of the following additional challenges:

• Paper Play Challenge 18 - Use Pins & Pearls with your stamps, 
• Paper Sundaes Challenge 118 - Ribbons & Pearls,
• Crafty Sentiments Challenge - Spots or Stripes (I went with 'stripes'), and
• Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes.

     Thanks so much for stopping by!  Hope you will get a chance to play along with my VSN Challenge - you have a whole WEEK to upload this time, WOO HOO!  Happy Weekend Everyone!
~Crafty Math Chick

I Can Finally Share!!

... I WAS INVITED TO JOIN THE SWEET 'N SASSY STAMPS DIGI DESIGN TEAM!!  (I KNOOOOW!!  I can't believe it either!)  So my friends & followers, this means you will be able to see my SNSS Digi challenge creations right here every Friday, WOO HOO!!  I hope to live up to this honor.
     Without further ado, this week's Sweet 'n Sassy Digi Challenge (SNSDC52) is to make a card use digi images inspired by your favorite holiday.  My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving, I just love cooking up a big meal with all the traditional dishes and enjoying the company of family and friends and having the opportunity to reflect on everything for which I am grateful.  One unique thing, I don't enjoy the turkey.  :(  I love animals and the circle of life and fact that we eat them has never really sat well with me, so for it, it is all about the side dishes, LOL!  In honor of my favorite holiday I created this card using cute little Templeton Turkey who is colored up with Copic markers:

The patterned paper actually has copper foil stripes on it (really pretty!) and I added a sentiment from the clear SNSS set 'Gobble Gobble' and used this week's sketch from Sweet Sketch Wednesday.  
     Thanks for stopping by my blog to share my good news with me and view my creations.  I do hope you will play along with us gals from the SNSDC and stop by the blog to congratulate my new teamies!  You don't need to use SNSS digi images to play along (though we certain love to see them!), any digi will do.  Hope to see you there!  Happy Friday!
~Crafty Math Chick