The Birds & The Bees

Hello friends & followers!  I hope you are enjoying your weekend.  Today I have three cards for your viewing pleasure, all for Hope You Can Cling To (HYCCT) Challenges over at SCS.  The first was created for Lydia's Pink Critters HYCCT Challenge using The Craft's Meow's October Sketch and CTM's adorable Owl Be Thinking of you set:

The branch takes the place of the ribbon in the sketch and I stamped the 'Save the Hooters' sentiment in the sign image included in the set to take the place of the tag in the sketch.  The letters from PTI's Simple Alphabet fit perfectly in the little sign.  Since it is snowing here I tore a piece of pre-glittered white cardstock to serve as the ground, though the true sparkliness does not come through in the photo.  In addition, this card satisfied the following challenges:

• Our Craft Lounge 89 (OCL89) - Going Pink,
• Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge 141 - Use a tree or leaf element in your card, and 
• The Kraft Journal Make-It_Monday Challenge - Anything Goes with Kraft Cardstock.

My next card was made for the HYCCT Save the Boo-Bees Challenge using this week's CAS-ual Friday Sketch 26 (CFC26) and There She Goes Clear Stamps' Bee Happy mini set:

I substituted the popped up bee in for the circle in the sketch and the dotted 'bee flight trail' for the ribbon element in the middle.  I added petite black rhinestones at the ends of the antenae though I don't bee-lieve they show up well in this photo.  The honeycomb paper is from Echo Park's Walk in the Park collection.  This card also fulfills the requirements of the following two additional challenges:

• Simon Says Stamp and Show - One Color (I obviously went with yellow), and
• Pile It On Challenge 43 - Bee Happy.

I had bees on the brain by this point so I decided to use the fancy version of Priscilla Styles' Midnight Madness Sketch 127 (MMSC127) with some bees from Kim Hughes' The Birds & The Bees set from Cornish Heritage Farms for the HYCCT 'Paint Your Heart Out' Challenge - to use paint on a card.  

I used the crayon resist technique (see the white 'highlighting' on the sides of the hives?  that's crayon!) for the background sponged with summer sun, pumpkin pie and close to cocoa ink on glossy cardstock, and stamped the bees separately, cut them out and popped them up with dimensionals.  I painted the bees' wings with Angel Wings Shimmerz paint to give them a glistening, gossamer effect (which doesn't really show up in the photo unfortunately).  This card also fulfills the following additional challenges:

• Shopping Our Stash Challenge 25 - Fall Color (or Halloween, but I went with fall colors obviously),
• Charisma Cardz Challenge 43 - Anything Goes, and 
• Pile It On Challenge 43 - Bee Happy.

Alrightie, that is all I have for you right now.  I hope to stamp the day away tomorrow too and will have more to show you then.  Don't forget to check out my blog candy in my 100th Blog Post: HERE!  Happy Saturday Night!
~Crafty Math Chick

The Craft's Me-owl

Hello Friends & Followers!  I hope your week is going well.  Today's card was created for this month's sketch at The Craft's Meow using their 'Happy Owl-ween' set illustrated by the talented Jenny Suchins:

(Please click on the photo for clearer resolution).  I just adore Jenny's little owls, they are SO CUTE!  And apparently her bats (and spiders, though I didn't use any here) are too!  I punched an oval of this pre-glittered black paper from last year's Martha Stewart Halloween papers collection, stamped the owl, fence and hat separately, colored them in using Copic markers, cut them out and assembled them.  Then I took a piece of this gorgeous black velvet paper from the same set and used Martha Stewart's Crackle punch along the top edge and tied some of this pretty iridescent yellow ribbon from Hobby Lobby around it.  Both of the cutie pie bats were stamped, colored and cut out too.  The sliver moon was stamped on yellow cardstock and then I added some glitter glue over the top to make it sparkle and let it dry (FYI: I found some of this Studio G glitter glue in these adorable little bottles that resembled Stickles at Walmart for only 97 cents (though I have seen them at Michaels for $1 as well) and wanted to see how they compared to Stickles - well, they ROCK IMHO!  Extremely similar to Stickles - look just as sparkly when dry, and dries in about the same amount of time too.  They might have been just a microscopic tad thicker than Stickles, though that isn't bad as I found it easier to control that way, and the opening of the dispenser might be slightly larger but with practice it is just as easy to get a nice fine line.)  I added some buttons with yellow twine bows through the centers and VOILA!    
In addition to The Craft's Meow Sketch Challenge, this card fulfilled the requirements of the following additional challenges as well:

• Repeat Impressions' Designer Choice Challenge 928 - Cards with an Animal Theme, 
• Totally Stampalicious Challenge - It's got wings! (the owl and bats both have wings),
• Speedy the Cat's Friends' Challegne 74 - Wings,
• Paper Creations Ink Challenge 9 - Buttons or Bows,
• Crazy for Challenges 106 (C4C106) - Halloween,
• Critter Sketch Challenge 84 - Anything Goes, and 
• Paper Sundaes Challenge 88 - Anything Goes.

Thanks for the fun sketch to play with Lisa!  And thank you all for taking the time to stop by my blog and view my creations.  Have a great day!
~Crafty Math Chick

More VSN Cards

Hello Friends & Followers!  I am happy to report we weathered the storm just fine - we did lose power briefly but not long enough for the sump pump in the basement to shut down (thank heavens!) - so thank you all for your thoughts & prayers and I hope you were as lucky as well.  


Today I continue with more 'made in 45 minutes or less' VSN cards.  The first was for a challenge that required us to use wood, woodgrain, images of objects made of wood, etc.  I knew it was the perfect challenge to break in my new stamps from The Craft's Meow by Jenny Suchins called 'Owl Be Thinking of You' so I decide to use The Craft's Meow's August Sketch for the challenge as well:

(please click on the photo for clearer resolution).  I used Martha Stewart punches to create the grass and the 'sun' which has a bright yellow button twined with Twinery twine at it's center and background stamp from PTI to create the woodgrain looking DP in the background.  The tree and cutie pie owls are colored with Copic markers.  


My second card was for a VSN challenge that required us to use (1) something with a bandana print, and (2) paper piecing.  I borrowed  this week's Sketch Saturday Sketch 170 to create this card:

(Please click on photo for clearer resolution).  I obviously used bandana print ribbon and paper pieced some denim patterned paper onto the overalls of the cute little boy from My Favorite Things' 'Dog-Gone Cute' and attached little silver domes as the snaps after coloring him and his canine companion with Copic markers.  For a little balance I stamped the images and sentiment at 2:00 and 8:00 from MFT's 'You Had Me at Woof!".  This card also fulfills the following additional challenges:

• Sugar Creek Hollow - Make It Masculine, and 
• Stamps R Us Challenge - Anything Goes.

It feel so good to be creating again, thank you all so much for stopping by to see my creations.  I just might have a second post for you later today... if not, there should be one on Monday since Monday night is the upload deadline for VSN on SCS.  Happy Sunday Everyone!
~Crafty Math Chick