Dare to Get Dirty Challenges - Post 5

Good Morning Friends & Followers!  I hope you have a fun weekend planned.  Here are some more projects I created for the DTGD challenges on SCS.  The first is a little Ghirardelli treat box (tutorial can be found here on SCS - they are WICKED easy to make and recipients have always loved them) that satisfied the requirements of two DTGD challenges:

(please click on the photo for clearer resolution).  Experience has taught me that the easiest way to keep the flap of the box closed is to find some cute image, label or tag (I used one from Stampin' Up's retired 'Cute & Curly' set along with their curly label punch)  and pop it up with foam tape and then thread a piece of twine or ribbon through the space and tie it on top - festive no?  This cute little guy hold 3 Ghirardelli chocolate squares in flavors of your choosing - YUM!  I am also entering this Ghirardellia chocolate box into Moxie Fab World's Holiday Food & Treat Wrap Challenge (they allow entries posted within 4 weeks).
     The next card satisfied the requirements of three DTGD challenges on SCS:

(the inside says 'the more you have, the harder it is to find your keys - LOL!)  I had fun paper piecing the purses from Skipping Stones Design's Birthday Purses set and used a CB 'Houndstooth' EF for a patterned background.  Not sure I love the colors on this one - I had pictured it coming out a LOT differently in my head...  but it satisfies the requirements of the following additional challenges as well:

• Paper Playtime - use patterned paper (mine is from Echo Park's 'Victoria Gardens' collection), and
• Party Time Tuesdays - anything goes.

     Thanks for looking - should have more for you to see later today (have to make some serious progress on the remaining DTGD challenges - there are 42 total and I have only completed 20 of them so far, EEK!)  Wish me luck!
~ Crafty Math Chick

Dare to Get Dirty Challenge Cards - Post 4 (Ode to Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps)

Hello Friends & Followers!  I cannot tell you how good it feels be to crafting again!  I made three cards and one treat box today, but I just don't have the energy to post them all, so I will post two tonight and two tomorrow, along with whatever else I create then.  Here is a card I made which satisfied four different DTGD challenges at SCS with Cocoa's Christmas and A Cocoa Kind of Christmas:

(please click on the photo for clearer resolution)  I had so much fun coloring little Cocoa mouse, though separating the snowflake bling (it came packages on a long chain I had to separate with a craft knife)... not so much.  I am also entering this card in the following additional challenges:

• Stamp and Create July Challenge - Christmas in July,
• Jellypark Friends Friday Challenge - Christmas in July, 
• Totally Papercrafts Challenge - Inspired by a Song (when I was considering the layout of this card and saw the sentiment I ended up using, I kept hearing 'We wish you a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year, good tidings we bring to you and your kin...' ... you have that song in your head now too, don't you?),
• MilkCoffee Challenge - Show off those coloring skills,
• Whimsical Designs Challenge - use a bug or an animal (I'm pretty sure little Cocoa Mouse counts),
• Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes (why not right?), and 
• Crafts and Me - Anything Goes.  

     And this is my other SNSS card that I made today using Love from Rhubarb and this week's SNSS Sweet Stop sketch 221:

I colored him red because it reminds me of my first teddy bear that I had since I was little that used to sit on my dresser, it was red and I loved how unique it was.  I know it doesn't show up well in the picture, but I used some Studio G glitter glue (which is just as nice as Stickles if anyone was curious, and might even come out in a finer line...) on his wings to make them sparkly - it's really pretty, sort of a red holographic glitter.  I am also entering this card in the following additional challenges:

• Crafty Creations Challenge - use an arrow, 
• Ready Teddy Go Challenge - teddy bear w/die cuts and punches, and 
• Papercrafting Journey Challenge - use punches +/or die cuts (here I used a Big Scalloped Square Nestabilities die and a scalloped heart punch by Marvy Uchida).

     Thanks so much for stopping by to see my creations and read my ramblings.  Have a great night!  I will be back tomorrow with more!
~ Crafty Math Chick

Dare to Get Dirty Challenge Cards - Post 3

Hello again Friends & Followers!  Thank you all so much for taking the time to visit my blog and leave such sweet & supportive comments - I read & cherish every single one of them!
     Today I have two more cards I created for the DTGD challenges on SCS; each combined two challenges.  The first uses a set I love from the Kim Hughes Collection by Cornish Heritage Farms (before she created Paper Smooches) called 'The Birds & the Bees':

(please click on the photo for clearer resolution).  I embossed the beehives with white PE on glossy cardstock and then sponged Summer Sun, Pumpkin Pie and Chocolate Chip ink over them and wiped them off with a tissue for a speckled effect.  Then I stamped the bees and tiny heart and colored them with Copic markers and popped them up with Pop Its against the background.  I handpainted a little 'Extreme Glitter' acrylic paint (it is REALLY sparkly when it dries!) over the bees' wings and the heart for an extra touch of sparkle, and VOILA!  Card for hubby for next valentine's day is DONE (unless I make something I like better before then)  ;)
      This card also fulfills the requirements of the following additional challenges:

• MilkCoffee's 'Emboss It' Challenge, 
• Craft-Room Challenge - heat embossing, and 
• Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes (I know a ton of folks enter this, but I LOVE Simon Says Stamp, so it can't hurt, right?)

   My second card uses There She Goes Clear Stamps' 'Poultry in Motion' set and Taylored Expressions' 'Ray of Sunshine' cutting plate (which I actually used as a stencil here and sponged summer sun ink over it to create the illusion of rays of sunshine and gave the bottom some style with Martha Stewart's grass border punch:

This card also fulfills the requirements of the following challenges:

• Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Ode to Sunshine, 
• The Sisterhood of Crafters Challenge - Bring on the Heat, 
• Moxie Fab World's Birthday Card Challenge, and 
• PartyTime Tuesdays - Anything Goes.  

     Thanks again for stopping by!  Stay tuned for more DTGD cards to come!
~ Crafty Math Chick

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