Dare to Get Dirty Challenge Cards - Post 2

Hello again Friends & Followers!  It feels so good to be crafting again!  I wanted to share a card I made today to satisfy the requirements of 3 different DTGD challenges over at Splitcoaststampers.com (see yesterday's post for more info. about DTGD if you are interested), in addition to a few others out there:

(please click on the photo for clearer resolution if it is blurry).  First I created the background by spreading some Brocade Blue ink with an Aquabrush on watercolor paper.  Then I freehand cut the 'sand' from Crumb Cake (i.e. kraft) cardstock.  The shrimp, fish and trees were stamped on Cameo Coral, Pretty in Pink, Mellow Moss and Garden green and fussy cut and glued in place (the shrimp was paper pieced due to his stick-like legs).  I added a little Stickles here and there (Waterfall to the water & waves at the top, Fruit Punch to the Shrimp, Patina to the vegetation and Pink to the fish) and punched the wave border with a Fiskars border punch.  Lastly I created a fishhook out of a paper clip and added the 'You're swell' sentiment being lowered into the water from it.  Voila!  Card complete!
     This card also fulfills the requirements of the following additional challenges:

• All That Stickles Challenge - Waterfall (added to the water & waves at the top),
• Craft a Scene Challenge - Under the Sea, 
• The Squirrel & the Flax Challenge - Nautica/Sea Life, 
• Paper Smooches Sparks Challenge - Anything Goes with Paper Smooches stamps (I used several images from their 'Surf & Turf' set), 
• The Paper Girls Challenge - watercolors, and 
• Pile It On Challenge 30 - Anything Goes (why not?) 

    Thanks again for stopping by to see my creations!  I appreciate your time and your comments.  Have a wonderful evening and stay tuned for more cards tomorrow!
~ Crafty Math Chick

Dare to Get Dirty Challenge Cards - Post 1

Hello Friends & Followers!  I was finally able to begin on my Dare to Get Dirty Challenges hosted by Splitcoaststampers.com (note - you will only be able to see the challenges if you are an SCS Fan Club member).  I had hoped to be able to make a separate card for each of the 41ish challenges, but seeing as how we had expected company stay with us this weekend, I got a late start and began to panic that I would not be able to complete them all, and I would like to do so, so for now, I am combining challenges.  If I have time to spare at the end I can go back and make cards for the challenges that I overlapped right?  
     Here is the first card which I created using Some Odd Girl's July Sketch Challenge sketch:

using their adorable Preppy Pups set colored with Copic markers and paired with some patterned paper from MME's 'Sunshine' collection (which I really like!)

(please click on the photo for clearer resolution if necessary).  I figured I would write 'to have you as my Daddy' on the inside and let our furbaby give it to his Daddy for his next birthday or father's day (yes, our dog gives cards of his own).
     This card also fulfills the following challenges:

• Cupcake Inspirations Challenge 221 (based on this inspiration photo): and

• Songbird Challenge 25 - My Favorite Things (you KNOW how much I LOVE da pups!), 
• Creatilicious Challenge - I love my pet, and 
• Paper Playtime's Patterned Paper Challenge.  

     My second card was created for two of the DTGD challenges along with Stamp TV's Saturday Night Chat & Challenge to create a floral card with an encouraging sentiment (which I later found had expired the week before, LOL!  Hey, it is still inspiration right?).  I used GKD's 'You are Not Alone' set along with the Floral Fantasy CB EF and Perfect Plum and Pale Plum cardstocks and chalks to create this card: 

I don't know if I am personally in love with this card (I am not much of a floral person or a purple-lover, but someone else might, right?).  Since this card contains embossing I am entering it in Milk Coffee's embossing challenge.  
     So, those are the two cards I have created today thus far, you may seem more later this evening, but if not, most likely tomorrow!  Thanks again for stopping by!
~ Crafty Math Chick

Vet Thank You

Hello friends & followers!  Those of you who are blessed with fur children know how invaluable a good vet is, and we are blessed to have a vet that is beyond good, she's terrific.  How terrific you ask?  When she saw how anxious I was (I know, me?  anxious?  LOL!) about Ty having his first teeth cleaning, she gave me a complete tour of the facilities and explained the entire procedure to me, step by step, and called me after it was finished with a status report to help give me piece of me.  More recently, when Ty somehow managed to get a tiny grass seed embedded in his paw which required surgery to get it out, even though she was schedule to leave for vacation, she scrubbed and snapped on a pair of gloves to retrieve the seed herself and allow our baby to heal.  She is phenomenal and we feel so blessed to have her as our vet.  I wanted to thank her and let her know how much we truly appreciate her, so I made a batch of brownies for her and her staff and this card to accompany them:

I always see so many cute cards by Paper Smooches and Lawn Fawn that have tons of animals in them and was inspired to make this one, since Dr. Cameron treats all kinds of furbabies.  A lotta masking went into this card I tell ya, but I like the end result.  Let's see if I can remember all the sets I used...  From Paper Smooches (speaking of Paper Smooches - they are having their July blog hop right now where they sneak peek new products - hop along for a chance to win!!): Woofers & Tweeters, Nine Lives, Squeaky Clean, Nauticool and Santa Paws (for the inside of the card for those two), and from Lawn Fawn: A Birdie Told Me (speech bubble, on the inside of the card) and Happy Everything (sentiment).  Here is the inside of the card:

I entered this card for Yvonne Yam's Masking challenge over on her blog (thanks Savannah!) due to the plethora of masking involved on the cover. I am also entering it in Songbird's 'Favorite Things' Challenge (any of you who have visited my site know how much I LOVE dogs and animals in general), Creatilicious Challenge - I love my pet, and Southern Girls' Challenge 'Animal Antics' as well.  
     This is my creation for the day.  Thank you for taking the time to stop by my blog and read my ramblings, and thank you to all who have been kind enough to offer up prayers in the past on behalf of our furbaby when he needed them.  Have a wonderful evening!
~ Crafty Math Chick

BDay Card for BIL-2

Hello!  Back again with a birthday card for my other BIL.  This time I was inspired by the colors of this week's Color Throwdown Challenge (they are celebrating their FIFTH anniversary - WOO HOO!)

Pretty, aren't they?  I was even inspired by the flip flops to use Papertrey Ink's 'Flipping Out' stamp set and dies:

I really wanted to play up the pink more and add some fun rhinestones or flowers or hearts on the flip flops, but I refrained from doing so since this card was, after all, for a man.  I am hoping he won't mind the splash of pink.  
     I am also entering this card in the Anything Goes Seize the Birthday Celebration, and 

Moxie Fab World's Birthday Card Challenge.
  Thanks again for stopping by!  Have a wonderful evening!
~ Crafty Math Chick

BDay Card for BIL-1

Hello Friends & Followers (nothing from me in a month and then two days in a row, right?)  Two of my BIL's have birthdays coming up and when I saw this week's color story from the Play Date Cafe Challenge:

I was inspired to make this card using 'Numbered Days' by There She Goes Clear Stamps:

(please click on the photo for clearer resolution).  I just love the puffy numbers and happy little accents included with this set, like the smiley face, bow tie and candle melting on top of the number three.  Even the font is cute!  The paper is one of the My Mind's Eye collection (sorry, can't remember which one off the top of my head - will come back and add that in).  I used this week's Sketch Saturday sketch:

Since this is a birthday card I am also entering this card into Moxie Fab World's Birthday Card Challenge (not sure I am quite Moxie-Fab-World-worthy yet, but no harm in trying right?) and Seize the Birthday's 'Anything Goes Birthday' Challenge as well.
     Thanks so much for stopping by to see my creations.  I have another BIL with an upcoming birthday I need to make another card for as well, so don't be surprised if you see a second birthday card post soon!  I hope you have a wonderful evening!
~ Crafty Math Chick

(I KNOW!) I FINALLY stamped!

Hello friends & followers!  I am sorry for my long hiatus, had some health issues I have been dealing with.  They aren't completely worked out (won't burden you with the specifics) but I was missing making cards SO much, I couldn't stay away any longer.
     Here is a baby card I made to welcome my newest little nephew who graced us with his presence about a month ahead of schedule:

(Please click on the photo for clearer resolution).  I used Lawn Fawn's 'Plus One' set and ended up stamping the cute little stork twice, once to create the feet, and once on white cardstock to shade with Copics, then stamped the little bundle again on some bashful blue cardstock with white dots on it.  I selected some contrasting white cardstock with light blue dots on it and cut out some clouds freehand (I really need a cloud punch or some cloud dies!) and sponged some bashful blue ink on the ends to make them stand out against the white background.  The sun is an embossed Spellbinders Nestabilities die.   Played around with the arrangement a bit and - VOILA!  Card complete.  
     This card was inspired by the following challenges:

• Lawnscaping Challenge 62: Paper Piecing (the bundle was paper pieced onto the stork's body and that that was paper pieced onto the stamped image on the card base to create hit feet),  

• CAS-ual Friday's Challenge 109: Polka Dots on a CAS card, and

• Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps' Release Party Challenge #1 over at Splitcoaststampers.com: to use a sun or yellow in a creation. 

Thanks so much for stopping by and for not giving up on me during my little break from stamping as I tried to heal and get well.  Cheers!
~ Crafty Math Chick

Sigh, bye bye Google Reader

Good evening friends & followers!  Thank you all SO much for your loyal friendship and support of my creations and issues in my personal life from time to time.  All your comments have brought me such joy, and I am grateful for ALL of them.  I do hope to get back to creating more regularly again SOON!

I have heard that Google Reader will be disappearing July 1st.  I was not sure which new service to use, but for now I am trying BlogLovin' because I liked that it could import all of my loyal Google Reader followers with the click of a button.  If you are interested, you too can try it here:

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