Get your Mojo Going.

What's better than getting inspiration with a sketch challenge once a week? How about a prize???

Every week Julee from the mojo Monday website, offers up another wonderful sketch to get your mojo going for the week. I personally love doing challenges. In a way it's like going to the gym, but to stay in shape for making new cards.

I started out playing with this paper yesterday, to make my swaps for my team meeting. This morning when I got up, I really wanted to make a sympathy card for a dear friend who just lost her husband. I want it to be something extra special. Let me also say, I NEVER use these colors. I started with a 2"x3" rectangle of garden green card stock. I took versamark to the entire surface and embossed it with iridescent ice EP. Then, I ran it through my big shot to cut out a butterfly's wings.

Next I took some white taffeta ribbon and colored it to garden green using a marker. I made a faux bow out of the same ribbon on the square piece on the cardfront.

I made a butterfly body the other day using left over full pearls from the pretties kit and now I think I'm addicted. I have a ton of these beads, and I'm so happy to find another use for them! I cut a piece of card stock very thin, maybe 1/16th of an inch, and rolled it up very tightly. Then I folded in half and kept rolling to get it small enough so I could feed the beads onto the paper. I attached the beads to the card with crystal effects, separated the paper at the top and trimmed it to make it look like a butterfly's body. I love this technique so much, that I imagine, I will be doing it with my technique club this month.

The rest was easy. I cut my flock together designer series paper down to match the sketch and put it all together. i wish i had a rubon to express what I'm feeling for my friend. thoughts and prayers was what i came up with, but I'm feeling that part doesn't cut it. Thanks Julee for a fabulous sketch (again). If you're reading this and you've never tried a challenge, I encourage you to check it out! You could win some free rubbah!
Happy Monday.
Selene~

A Fly By ~ Weekend Sketch Challenge #79

I procrastinated by one day on a swap that I'm in. I only need to make one card, but I was a slow poke. Tiffany, if you're reading this, it's in the mail today to you. :)

I did a workshop with this great butterfly set, and when I woke up I wanted to play. I buzzed over to Beate's blog, and saw the weekend sketch challenge and decided to play with that. The sketch came courtousy of Jenn Balcer, and if you want to play along, make sure you post a link there! I stamped with color on the Apricot panel, which I wouldn't normally do. Then i took some versamark and irridecent ice embossing powder and embossed a piece of regal rose cardstock, which I then cut into a butterfly with my sizzix. Then, I was bored.... I tried ribbon for the butterfly body and it just wasnt cutting it. So, I took a piece of celery cardstock and cut a hairline piece, then I just rolled it up, folded it in half, and kept rolling. I pulled out a pretties kit, and added 3 beads. (that took a minute and a stick pin to pull it through the end). Once I had the butterfly body done, i used crystal effects to stick it to my butterfly and glue dots to stick that on my scallop circle layers.

I finished it off with some dazzling diamonds "edging" around the celery cardstock and in the "dots" of the background butterflies. This is very sparkly in real life.

I hope you all have a great weekend. We're getting the camper ready!
Selene~

Bloggers challenge ~ A sketch

How simple and fun is this sketch?? When I saw this card sketch i knew i wanted to try it, so I used it for a card for my technique club. We did this 3D flower by cutting out 3 flowers and layering. We sponged each layer and added dazzling diamonds with a 2-way glue pen. Everyone got to pick their saying, because we used chit chat rubons! Super fun sketch! Please check out what the rest of the bloggers challenge ladies are up to and leave them a comment so they know you're looking! :)

Selene Kempton

DCBD 125 ~ A sketch challenge

Time for another week to join the Diva's Coffee Break Design team for a sketch challenge. I had so much fun making the first card, I made a second for this weeks challenge! This beautiful stamp set "for all you do" will not be available until the July 2009 release of the stampin up Idea book and catalog. It was a gift to all incentive trip achievers and given with a "make and take" packet in Hawaii. When I saw the sketch, even though I had been thinking it should stay on the shelf until we get closer to July, I pulled it off and mounted it to have a little fun.
First, I ran the white background through my bigshot with the swirly texture plate. I tied a ribbon on the designer series paper and used my eyelet border punch to create the design element on both sides of the DSP. I stamped the sentiment in chocolate chip and punched it out with the square punch, and layered that with the square scallop punch.

The inside of the card is almost more interesting than the front! I inked up the butterfly in baja breeze and "rock & rolled" it in chocolate chip to get the outside dark outline. I stamped off once and then stamped on the inside of the card. I also added a thank you which is also part of the stamp set.
Both of these cards are relatively simple and are really pretty. I think I cased myself for the second card. I made a card using DSP down a little further on my blog. This one has a little more white. I like clean and simple cards. This one was very similar put together. I used the bigshot for the background, and added some ribbon around that layer. I used a rubon right on the ribbon and markers to ink my images. I used the bojo blossoms punch to punch out my wise owl "dad" for this fathers day card. I know flowers are not typically masculine, but I think the half bead from the pretties kit works nicely as a center to the white flower button. They are both attached with a glue dot. Well, that's about all folks! I hope you have a chance to check out what the other diva's are doing today. I know I'll be grabbing a cup of coffee and moving down the list after I drop my little one at school. If you have time to play along, I'd love to see what you are making with this sketch too. It's a quick and easy one! I hope you have time to stamp something fun today.
Selene Kempton

If glitter could heal ~ Kristina Werner color challenge

If only glitter could cure the sick, paper crafters would have the power to heal the world! I certainly would have enough glitter in my craft room to take care of most of the eastern coast of the US. I'm not sure where I have been, but I feel like I have missed a few of these fabulous color challenges from Kristina Werner.

This beautiful card is for a dear friends hubby. He has been going through some extensive chemo, dealing with sore throats, trying not to get sick, having dental problems in the middle of all of it and trying to keep his spirits up in the midst of all of that! I can't even imagine. Thank GOD he is on the road to recovery, and I think about their family a lot. Somehow when I'm making a card for the right person, for the right occasion, it seems to come together quickly for me. If I'm trying to just make "something" and there's no purpose.. I don't know it's just not the same. This one is a labor of friendship and love.

The layout is pretty simple. I cut some shapes and started playing. I laid the colors on top of my chocolate base and they just found their own home if that makes sense. I took two of the large fabric flowers from the pretties kit, and added a bit of red ink to the outside edges of the petals. One flower didnt seem like enough, you could see through it. Adding a second flower did the trick. I found this cute little image, again from the princess set i've never used until today and took the time to cut the pretty daisy flower out by hand. I used a push pin to poke a hole and added a yellow corderoy button/brad. I added ONE PIECE of glitter to that. (i know, i'm crazy) I used crystal effects and a push pin to adhere the glitter. Just pick up a little tear drop of crystal effects and drop it on any surface, then use your push pin to pick up the one flake of glitter you want to use. How's that for getting the most out of a jar of glitter???

The sentiment is "I hope you feel better" and I used a rubon for that on the front of the card, and in my own script writing, I wrote "Lots Better" on the inside of the card. If you dont know me, sometimes I have dorky reasons for doing something on a card. I used one piece of glitter to say "feel better" and added a gazillion pieces of glitter using a BIG BLOB of crystal effects and a boatload of glitter, for the Lots Better. Kind of like the "I love you THIS MUCH" thing.. I told you I'm a dork, but that's why those of you who know me well love me right?

Thanks to Kristina for another AWESOME color challenge. I think I need to go hand deliver this one tonight. I feel good about it and I hope it lift's Dean's spirits. If you think of it, while you are saying your prayers, say a little one for Dean and Michele that this will be just a quick blip on the computer screen of life and he will recover without a hitch ~ that would be awesome. Rubber Hugs to you all and thanks for visiting.

Selene

How about some Mojo on Monday!

It's been so long since I have had time to play along with Julee and the girls on the mojo monday blog. Every week there is a new sketch for you to play with, and you can post your creations on line and then link back so people can find you! SO FUN!!!

I took the sketch this week and turned it, so now, my card looks backwards but the sketch was just rotated 90 degrees to accomodate that crown stamp that I have NEVER used before. This stamp set has been sitting lonely on my shelf for so long.

it all started with the Designer series paper. I cut the paper following the sketch and thought that it looked very girly. When i went searching for a stamp for the sketch, this one popped out at me. I used blender pens to add some red to my crown. For the most part, i just used the ink from the stamped image to add color. I also mixed some dazzling diamonds with crystal effects and painted it on in certain places on the card. You can really see it too good in the photo, but this one is VERY sparkly in real life. I removed some crystal brads from their casing and used my crystal effects mixure as glue to attach the floating bling. Under the three in a row above the crown, I used some cut out black circles. Again the photo didnt capture it, but there is a 1/16" border around those bling in real life. just a hairline to see the border, the same as the 1/16" border around some of my layers. This was a really fun sketch and I was so happy to play along. This could be a new tradition!

Many Masculine Cards ~ boxed set Class

Finding the perfect card & gift for a man is always challenging ….until now. Be ready for any occasion with this fantastic set of four masculine “fun-fold” cards and briefcase-shaped gift box. Each card is based on an original template and is created out of one sheet of DP making it a unique card & gift-card holder- in-one!

Date: June 3rd
Time: 6:30 PM
Cost: $25

Location: Selene’s Stampin” Pad

To reserve your seat please call or email me at e.selene@verizon.net.

Are you a demonstrator who would like to offer this class to your customers?? Send me an email for the details!