TGF Farm Fresh Friday: Make It Move!

Well, here we are for another Farm Fresh Friday...and this week, our very own Farmer Thanh is challenging us to make a card or project with something that moves!

I'll admit, mine is a little bit of a cop-out. OK, maybe more than a little bit. I honestly had another, more ambitious project in mind, but it didn't come out the way I wanted it to, and I wasn't happy with it, so I made this instead.

I promise, the candy moves inside the cup...and it will also move when the back of the cup is opened!

I haven't been able to locate my wobble springs since the move...and overall, it's been a crazy week. I also apologize for the hot spot on the photo. I was editing it in a public place and my lighting wasn't the greatest.

So, here's my delicious, semi-moving card with "Anya Treats":

My fellow farmers have seriously knocked this challenge out of the park...stop by The Greeting Farm's blog to see them all!

So, what do you need to know to join us for our Farm Fresh Friday challenges? Here's the scoop:

• You must use a TGF stamp (rubber, digi, or clear) as your main image. 

• *Entries must be uploaded via InLinkz below the challenge post on the TGF blog no later than Thursday, May 30th at NOON CST. 

• You can add a direct link to your entry from your personal blog, SCS gallery, Flickr or TGF galleria. (If the InLinkz tool is missing, feel free to link your submission URL in the comment section below the post on the TGF blog.) 

• *The fabulous prize: A random participant will be selected to win their choice of an in-stock SINGLE RUBBER STAMP or a 4x6 set!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you have a wonderful weekend filled with many of your own sweet treats!

Hugs,

Your Next Stamp: May Release After Party!

Happy Friday! I hope you've enjoyed all of the fantabulous creations that the Your Next Stamp Design Team whipped up for this month's release! We're still celebrating with our May release "after party," and I have a pair of cards to share with you today!

Don't forget, all of the new stamps are available NOW in the YNS Store!

My first card features the second new Darling Diva to be released this month, "Oceana"!

I made the sand by first coloring the area with a combo of E33 and E34 Copics. Then I added a thin layer of Distress Stickles in Antique Linen. It makes great looking sand when it dries!

I made the button accent by die cutting a circle, stamping one of the sentiments from the set, threaded some matching twine through a large button and then glue dotting the stamped circle to the button.

Other supplies: patterned paper (American Crafts 6x6 mini pad), twine, adhesive rhinestones, assorted Copic markers, metal circle and scalloped circle dies, cardstock.

My second card features one of the two new fairy stamp sets! This is "Skye"!

YNS supplies: "Skye" image stamp, flower dies from "Spring Garden Die Set," sentiment from "Blossom" stamp set. Other supplies: patterned paper ("Hey Girl" 6x6 pad - Basic Grey), circle and scalloped circle metal dies, Stickles, glitter brad, assorted Copic markers, circle hole punch, watermark ink, white embossing powder.

Don't forget, there are still some special discounts available in the YNS Store until Sunday, May 26:

Stop by the YNS blog for the full list of designers sharing their after party creations with you today!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Your Next Stamp's May Release HOP!

Happy Wednesday! It's new release time again at Your Next Stamp, and we're kicking off the festivities with our monthly blog hop! You can find all of the new goodies HERE at the Your Next Stamp Store!

You probably arrived from Olivia's blog, but in case you're starting here (at Suzanne's blog), we're providing the full hop list at the bottom of our posts so you can start at the beginning!

Make sure you hop around to all of the blogs featured in the link list below for lots of inspiration using the new products!  If you leave a comment on ALL of the blogs, you'll be entered to win a $20.00 YNS gift certificate!  The lucky winner will be announced on the Your Next Stamp Blog May 25th.

I have two cards to share with  you today! My first card features one of the two new Darling Diva stamps being released this month...here's "Mariah":

YNS Supplies: image stamp "Mariah" (Darling Divas Collection), star and note accents "Whatnots Celebrate Die Set", frames "Large Film Strip Die" and "Mini Film Strip Die", sentiment created with "Skinny Alpha Font Set"; Other supplies: assorted Copic markers, patterned paper ("Knee Highs" 6x6 pad - Basic Grey), Stickles, silver gel ink pen, Glossy Accents, watermark ink, white embossing powder.

My second card features "Spring Blossom Robin":

YNS Supplies: image stamp "Spring Blossom Robin", sentiment "Spring Garden Robin"; Other supplies: assorted Copic markers, patterned paper ("Lavender/The Sweetest Thing" 6x6 pad - My Mind's Eye), sewing machine, Memento Rich Cocoa and Tuxedo Black Ink, Spellbinders Oval and Lacey Ovals dies.

Don't forget that Karen is offering some awesome hop specials, so make sure you take advantage of these great deals:

Thank you so much for stopping by today! Your next stop on the hop is Kelli's fantabulous blog!

Happy hopping (and shopping)!

Hugs,

Your Next Stamp's Tasty Tuesday Challenge!

Hi, everybody! I'm back to share my latest card for Your Next Stamp's Tasty Tuesday Challenge!

I chose "Like, Totally Radical 80's Fhiona" with some elements from the "Fantabulous 80's Accessories Set" for my card:

And here's the inspiration photo for this challenge:

I was inspired by the bright colors on the cupcakes...they totally made me think of the 80's and all of the neon colors we wore! I also loved coloring up Fhiona's hair...mine definitely wasn't blonde, but I had a ginormous tight-curled perm! (I'll spare you the school photo...)

For all the details on this challenge, stop by the YNS blog!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Hugs,

It's Garden Variety Tuesday at The Greeting Farm!

Howdy, Friends of the Farm! It's time for a new Garden Variety Tuesday challenge at The Greeting Farm!

I decided to feature Latte Anya on today's card:

Supplies: image stamp ("Latte Anya" - The Greeting Farm), cardstock (Stampin UP), striped paper (Fancy Pants), assorted Copic markers, orange chevron paper (My Mind's Eye), twine (Whisker Graphics), button, sewing machine, foam tape, embossing folder.

The sentiment is from my stash of various coffee-themed stamps. Before we moved to Virginia, we lived near Seattle, Washington, the home of Starbucks Coffee. I became quite a coffee snob in the process! Now that we're back East, I don't go out to Starbucks as much, but I still love a cup of coffee in the morning (even though now it's the store brand)!

Our challenge for today is inspired by this group of photos. We've also included the color palette in case you'd like to draw your inspiration from it instead of the items in the photos.

For all the details and guidelines on this challenge, visit The Greeting Farm's blog!

The deadline for this challenge is in two weeks, because we're previewing the June release next week and won't have a new GVT. So, be sure to upload your entry to the TGF blog before Monday, June 3 at NOON CST.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Hugs,

Whimsy and Stars Studio Monday!

Hi, crafty friends! I hope you had a wonderful weekend! We did a few things around the house, but I also found some time to catch up on some crafting time, too!

I'm stopping by today to share a card that I made with a super-cute and super-sweet digi stamp from Whimsy and Stars Studio. This image is "Spring Boy & Girl", and I colored it to match my husband and me.

Supplies: digital stamp ("Spring Boy & Girl" - Whimsy and Stars Studio), sentiment sticker (My Mind's Eye), twine (Trendy Twine), button, patterned paper ("Lavender" 6x6 pad/The Sweetest Thing collection - My Mind's Eye), sewing machine, assorted Copic markers, cardstock (Stampin UP).

Don't forget about all of the other adorable digis at Whimsy and Stars Studio, especially Mabelle's newest release, "Garden Joy":

Thanks so much for stopping by today! There's still time to get your application in to join the Whimsy and Stars Studio Design Team! The deadline is May 31, and you can find all of the details on the call at Whimsy and Stars Studio's blog!

Hope you have a wonderful week! I'll have more creations to share with you tomorrow, so I'll see you then!

Hugs,

retro sketches #64

Hi again! Just wanted to stop in again this evening to share my card for the current retro sketches challenge (#64)!

I'm featuring "Tropical Mae" from Some Odd Girl on my card:

Supplies: patterned paper ("Sweet Threads" and "What's Up" 6x6 pads - Basic Grey), cardstock (Stampin' Up), assorted Copic markers, digital stamp ("Tropical Mae" - Some Odd Girl), sentiment stamp (Hero Arts), watermark ink, white embossing powder, square Spellbinders die, opaque white marker.

Here's the sketch that inspired my design:

For all the details on this challenge, please visit the retro sketches blog!

But wait, there's more!

In other news, I made it to the Top 15 of the "Odd Idol" contest going on at Some Odd World (the ning group for Some Odd Girl Stamps)! 

Voting for Round 3 begins on Friday, May 24, and while I can't give any hints or clues as to which project is mine, I can guarantee that whichever project you vote for will be fabulous! The competition gets tougher in each round, and all of the contestants are creating some ah-mah-zing projects!

Just a heads-up: there is a short registration process to become part of the SOG ning group, and then you'll be in!

I appreciate you taking time out of your day to visit my blog...thanks so much for stopping by today!

Hugs,

More Summer Fun for YNS Fun Friday!

Hi, fellow stampers and crafters! It's my turn to post a card for Fun Friday this week at Your Next Stamp!

Our month-long theme is "Summer Fun," and here's my card, which features "Ellie Loves the Beach":

I also created a custom sentiment with two of our new clear sets, "Happy Day Sentiments" and the "Skinny Font Alpha Set". The sun was made with one of the "Whatnots Seasons One" dies, and all I had to do was add a button in the middle for instant sunshine!

You'll want to mark your calendar for Wednesday, May 22 when we reveal all of the new stamps and dies at Your Next Stamp! You won't want to miss the blog hop, which is always jam-packed with inspiring ideas  from the DT and you'll have a chance to win prizes just for commenting on each blog!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you have a fabulous weekend!

Hugs,

TGF Farm Fresh Friday - Paper Piecing!

Happy Friday, friends of the Farm! It's time for a new Farm Fresh Friday challenge at The Greeting Farm, and this week we're putting the pieces together with the theme of paper piecing!

I love fussy cutting, and I don't paper piece images as much anymore because I love to color, but I wanted to do something fun for this challenge card. 

I chose the dog from the "Anya Strolls" set to relax on a paper pieced chair from the "Sitting Wonderful" stamp set. The set's magazine and glass accessories seemed perfect, too!

Because the main image had so much going on, I decided to keep the rest of the card design fairly simple. The sentiment I used is one of the two included in the "Anya Strolls" set.

So, what do you need to know to join us for our Farm Fresh Friday challenge? Here's the scoop:

• You must use a TGF stamp (rubber, digi, or clear) as your main image. 

• *Entries must be uploaded via InLinkz below the challenge post on the TGF blog no later than Thursday, May 23rd at NOON CST. 

• You can add a direct link to your entry from your personal blog, SCS gallery, Flickr or TGF galleria. (If the InLinkz tool is missing, feel free to link your submission URL in the comment section below the post on the TGF blog.) 

• *The fabulous prize: A random participant will be selected to win their choice of an in-stock SINGLE RUBBER STAMP or a 4x6 set!

I hope you enjoyed my coffee filter flower tutorial that I posted on Wednesday. If you didn't get a chance to check it out, just click HERE to see it on the TGF blog!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you have a fabulously creative weekend!

Hugs,

Tutorial: A Garden of Roses!

Hi, Friends of the Farm! Suzanne here, and today I'm sharing a tutorial here and on The Greeting Farm blog on how to make roses out of something you may have in your pantry...coffee filters! With this technique, you'll be making a garden of roses in no time!

My supply list:

• white coffee filters (I use 5-6 filters per flower)
• adhesive dots
• scissors/rolled flower die
• manual die-cutting machine
• alcohol-based marker and blending solution

While you can find rolled flower dies fairly easily, you can also make these if you don't have one of the dies. I'll show you both ways to make the flowers, and I'll start with the non-die method!

Cut a circle out of a bundle of 5-6 coffee filters, folded in half. Your circle doesn't have to be perfectly round. Mine usually come out in a more oval shape when I hand-cut them.

Start at one point on the circle and cut a spiral into the layered circles. Leave a larger part uncut in the center. (This will help you keep the flower together after you've rolled it.) It will look like the spiral on the right.

Now, you're ready to roll! Try your best to keep all the layers together, and start with the pointed end, then roll toward the center. The layers tend to separate more once you get near the end.

I recommend letting the center unroll a bit before you add adhesive dots. Letting it loosen a bit helps to give your flower more volume. You'll be able to fix the layers more after it's secured. Stick several dots to the bottom center, depending on the size of your flower. With a larger flower, you'll want more dots on the bottom to help all the layers stick.

Wrap the rest of the layers under the flower and stick them to the adhesive dots. It's OK if you have excess strands. I just cut off the part that sticks out.

You can also use a rolled flower die in a die cut machine if you have one. I use my dies cutting sides down on top of the filters after folding them in half. You can see what they look like after they're run through the machine.

I often color the coffee filters before die cutting them with the chisel end of an alcohol marker. I spray colorless blender solution on the filters and rub it in so that the solution soaks the ink and the paper.
 

Rolling and finishing the die cut version works the same way as if you'd hand cut the spirals yourself. The advantage to using a die is that it's easier to keep all of the layers together, but you're able to create more sizes without the die. I roll the colored flowers with the color on the inside.

You can also color the flower after it's assembled with an alcohol-based marker. Then spray blending solution on the flower and rub it in. When it's assembled, it's very sturdy, so you shouldn't have to worry about it coming apart.

I haven't tried using spray mists to add color, but I'd like to hear if you do! I think this technique would also work well with tissue paper, which has the advantage of being available in many different colors.

Here are some examples of cards that I've made that include these flowers:

I hope you've enjoyed my tutorial today! If you make some roses of your own, I'd love to see them! Just share your link with me in the comment section!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Hugs,