Cheetah Girl!

Here we are again with another Scrapbook Monday post!  Today's page features actual photos from 2011 (ooohs and aaahhs from the crowd).  I decided I better work on my newer photos as well as the older ones or I would forget what they were for...  This is from my DD's birthday party.  She is a cheetah fanatic and this attraction is fed by her 'fairy Godmother', who is also my sister.  This year she received a bath towel and a ultra chic scarf from her aunt.  Daddy thought he might look good in animal prints as well and tried on her scarf.  My layout was based on a sketch from Simply Stampin' Challenge.  This was their challenge a few weeks ago, but I didn't get around to creating with it until now.

Her scrapbooks are already full of layouts using cheetah/leopard prints, and quite frankly, I'm tired of using them! So I went with a sahara sand base, brown accents, and added just a hint of the animal print by using strips of fleece material as ribbon.

The background print was made using versamark, clear embossing powder, and a quick shot from the heat gun (have I mentioned my fascination with this process??)  The rest is pretty self-explanatory

Page Recipe: Cardstock-sahara sand, soft suede, very vanilla, pretty in pink, Ink-early espresso, crumb cake, pretty in pink (sponging), Versamark, Stamp Sets-sprinkles (ret), Broadsheet Alphabet, Notes and Details, Accessories-clear embossing  powder, heart to heart punch

A Three Hour Card, A Three Hour Card...

I think I know how the people from Gilligan's Island feel now! They only intended to take a 3 hour tour and spent what felt like an eternity on the island instead.  I set out to make a bridal shower card, not a big feat, and ended up spending 3 HOURS from start to finish on this!!  Those of you who follow my blog will understand immediately why this took me so long! I'm a CAS card maker by nature.  I do enjoy vintage and shabby, but they still end up being pretty simple.  Not this card, my friends...

In an effort to spare those from the challenge blogs who don't really want to hear my tale of endless crafting, here are the challenges I chose to  submit my card.  Shopping Our Stash is asking for all that glitters, sparkles, or shines (not a problem on this one!), SUO Challenges is asking for an infrequently used or new technique (lots of embellishing and Smooch spritz), and Top Tip Tuesday has an anything goes challenge. And my 3 hour card...

and the inside...

I saw the inspiration card on Robyn's Stamping Hood a few months ago and thought this would be fun to recreate. I must have been channeling Anne Marie  (aka the Bling Queen!) because the next thing I knew I was pulling out pearls, embossing folders, ribbon, smooch spritz, glimmer paper, and lots of other shimmery bling!  In all fairness, there are a lot of crafters out there who could have made this in 15 minutes, but this was so far out of my comfort zone that I would pull paper out, then put it back. Try this punch? No... What about this one?  Big pearls or tiny pearls?  It needs texture... No, that's too much...Hmm...which sentiment should I use... Even cutting the paper for the cake layers was an ordeal (cut 3 different times til I was happy)! When I finally was committed (or needed to be!), and adhered everything to the card, it still needed something.  Out came the Smooches!  When I finished, my table looked like the entire SU catalog had exploded and I had shimmery fingers from the smooch spray! But I have to say, when I picked up the finished project, this truly is one amazing card, by my standards.  Of course, with snow and freezing temperatures, I was not about to go outside just to get better lighting, so even though you may not be able to see all of the shimmery, glittery goodness, believe me! It's there!!

I used a LOT of goodies on this card and amazingly 90% was stuff I've had for quite a while! I am hoping that the bride-to-be will enjoy this card! I honestly don't know her, but she is marrying our neighbors son, and I have known him since he was a baby! Hope you have managed to make it through my extremely long post and that you enjoyed visiting!!

Card Recipe: Cardstock-pretty in pink, real red, very vanilla, Sending Love DSP (ret), red glimmer paper, Ink-real red, blush blossom marker (for shading edges and hearts inside), Stamp Sets- Loving Thoughts, Sprinkles (ret), Punches-modern label, heart to heart, scallop oval, corner rounder, large oval, Accessories-elegant lines embossing folder, basic pearls, vanilla shimmer and blushing bride smooch spritz, Chantilly crochet trim

a scrapbook page

I had grand plans of making lots of scrapbook pages during my break, but of course, there are always many other things that demand my time as well. For some reason, my family thinks they need meals, clean clothes, and various other frivolous things! But I did manage to squeeze in some scrapping time and completed a few pages.

This page uses lots of retired things, but the product is not quite as old as the picture, so I think I'm still ok ; )

Although it's hard to see, I stamped the butterflies from Sprinkles to break up some of the 'white space' on the base.  And don't adjust your screens or rub your eyes...yes, you are seeing actual stitching on this page!! I broke out one of my piercing patterns and poked the holes before using white bakers twine to cross stitch the page. I love the texture it added to my page, but I'm being completely honest when I admit that I probably won't use this technique too often! I'm generally pretty CAS when I'm paper crafting.
The title and center of my flowers are some chipboard stickers from my stash and that beautiful pink ribbon is from my blogging friend, Sherry (Button Junkie). I won a selection of her hand dyed ribbon as blog candy and loved this fun color with the paper. You really should check out the beautiful colors she makes!

I'm hoping that the next few days will allow me so extra crafting time so I can get a few cards made and make an attempt to catch up on scrapbooking! Wish me luck!! Maybe that can be a new year's resolution...

Page Recipe: Cardstock-Tea Party DSP (ret), whisper white, Stamp Set-Sprinkles (ret), Inks-wisteria wonder marker, almost amethyst ink (ret), Accessories- white bakers twine, 5 petal flower punch, scallop border punch