Month: December 2010

I Do

~ sproatmeyer ~ 7 Comments

Tomorrow is the New Year and here’s to new beginnings! Today at The Greeting Farm for Farm Fresh Friday we are previewing the new Anya & Ian “I Do” set and the challenge is to create a wedding card or favor. I chose to color up this adorable couple with traditional white-dress but then add a touch of blue as a secondary color.


I embellished the card with a sprig of beads (found in the wedding section at the hobby store, no less), some hat pins, and his & her wedding ring charms all wrapped up in a white bow. The white lace was added to help tie in all the white with the card. Click on any of the pictures for a larger view and you’ll also see that I added glitter to Anya’s dress and Ian’s tie! 😀


DT Challenge: The Greeting Farm – Farm Fresh Friday
Challenge: Catch The Bug Challenges (New Year, new beginnings)
Challenge: Ann’s Creative Nook – Challenge #117 (New Year, new beginnings and bling/sparkle)
Challenge: Irish Teddy – Challenge #4 (Blue/White no Christmas)
Main Stamp: Anya & Ian “I Do” (TGF)
Patterned Paper: Signature Christmas (MME)
Metal Die: Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels Seventeen
Copic Colors:
-skin: E000, E00, E11, R12
-hair: E31, E35
-clothes: 0, C00, C1, C3
-other: B91, B93, YG91, YG93

Did you know? Toblerone is a chocolate bar created by Theodor Tobler and Emil Baumann in Bern, Switzerland in 1908, and is a unique milk chocolate including nougat, almonds and honey. It is well-known for its distinctive packaging, its prism shape (triangular prism or pentahedron) and its ubiquity in duty-free shops. The product’s name is a portmanteau combining Tobler’s name with the Italian word torrone (a type of nougat). The image of a bear is hidden in the Matterhorn mountain symbolizing the town of its origin.
[Toblerone, Wikipedia.org]

Update: I was selected the winner at Ann’s Creative Nook for this challenge!

Danni

~ sproatmeyer ~ 9 Comments

I made this card using Danni from Paper Makeup Stamps and behind it Timber Top Ridge from Make it Crafty. It’s a simple layout but I think it really focuses on the two images equally. I added a touch of yellow to help keep the focus moving. Click on the images to see it larger and you’ll notice little details like the leaf charm, knot in the ribbon and a touch of glitter.

Here’s the complete background featuring the Timber Top Ridge. I wanted to capture an evening sunset and blended purple into blues. However, I didn’t catch on to a good technique until towards the end so some of the areas aren’t blended as well. Next time I need to use the blender pen to lay down a wet area then apply the colors which will really help. Anyway, you should really see it colored with cherry blossoms! Check out Zoe’s take – simply stunning!

Challenge: Lots To Do – Favorite Card Challenge
Challenge: CES – Challenge #17 (Anything Goes)
Challenge: Mark’s Finest Papers – Challenge #34 (Mustard, Blue, & green)
Main Stamp: Danni (PMS) and Timber Top Ridge (MiC)
Patterned Paper: Handmade Cara Marie (K&C)
Copic Colors:
C1, BV91, V000, BV000, E40, E41, E42, E43, E44, E47, YG95, YG99, BG93, BG96, G85, G40, G82, G94, G99, E000, E00, E11, E04, B91, B93, B95, YR21, YR20, YR24, R24, R29, E08, YG91, YG93, YG97

Did you know? Throwdown! with Bobby Flay is a Food Network television program in which celebrity chef Bobby Flay challenges cooks renowned for a specific dish or type of cooking to a cook-off of their signature dish. After practicing and preparing the item in question, Flay shows up for a surprise competition (or “Throwdown”). During the competition, both chefs prepare their particular version of the dish, and both are then evaluated by local judges to determine a winner. Flay’s record is 32 wins, 1 tie, and 67 losses.[Throwdown! with Bobby Flay, Wikipedia.org]

Fancy Anya

~ sproatmeyer ~ 36 Comments

Welcome to the third day of previews from The Greeting Farm with Club Anya and Friends. Today we’re featuring Fancy Anya and there is another chance to win this cute gal for leaving comments on all the DT blogs! In her fancy dress, this versatile Anya is ready for any occasion and I used her to create a very special girl’s card.


The chipboard corner embellishments were covered with liquid pearls on the top leaving the sides the natural lasercut color for depth. Finally a pearl was added on the corner. The flowers were some I had in my stash and the lily flowers are fun because they’re made out of clay for a nice texture change. I wish I could say I made them… but hey were store bought too. 😀


DT Preview: The Greeting Farm – Preview Week
Challenge: Crafy Ann’s – Challenge #30 (Anything Goes)
Challenge: Totally Gorjuss – Challenge #61 (For Someone Special)
Main Stamp: Fancy Anya (TGF)
Corner Embellishments: Love Heart Swirls (MiC)
Patterned Paper: Nana’s Nursery Baby Girl (DCWV)
Copic Colors:
-skin: E13, E15, E17, E18, E04
-hair: W2, W4, W6, W8
-clothes: G40, G82, G94, G99

Did you know? Baa, Baa, Black Sheep is a children’s nursery rhyme that dates to 1744 published in Tommy Thumb’s Pretty Song Book. Since then, the words have remained mostly intact with few changes. The rhyme is sung to a variant of the 1761 French melody Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman, which is also used for “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and the alphabet song. As with many nursery rhymes, attempts have been made to find origins and meanings for the rhyme, but no theories have been definitively proven. Denslow’s illustration accompanied a 1901 edition of Mother Goose.
[Baa, Baa, Black Sheep, Wikipedia.org]

OA Little Dreamer – Oliver

~ sproatmeyer ~ 34 Comments

Welcome to the second day of previews with Club Anya and Friends and today we’re feature a darling Oliver & Amelia set… Little Dreamer! There will be a “hidden” prize on one of the DT member’s today so be sure to check us all out! The winner will be announced tomorrow on The Greeting Farm Blog. Here’s my card using Oliver:


Oliver & Amelia are some of my favorites! This one is the perfect stamp to practice hair techniques too but I chose to go with a simple blending technique. The shooting star and sentiments are also from this set.


DT Preview: The Greeting Farm – Preview Week
Sketch: Stampin’ Up! Occasions Mini Catalog 2010
Challenge: Moving Along With The Times Challenge (No Christmas)
Challenge: Aud Sentiments – Callenge #18 (Anything Goes)
Main Stamp: Oliver & Amelia Little Dreamer (TGF)
Patterned Paper: Oliver (BG)
Copic Colors:
-skin: E00, E11, E13
-hair: E43, E44, E47, E49
-clothes: YG63, YG67
-other: W2, W4, W6, W8, E25, E29, R43, R46, R63

Did you know? Shagreen is a type of leather or rawhide consisting of rough untanned skin, formerly made from a horse’s back or that of an onager (wild ass), and typically dyed green. Shagreen is now commonly made of the skins of sharks and rays. The word derives from the French chagrin and due to the roughness of its texture it led to the French meaning of anxiety, vexation, embarrassment, or annoyance.
[Shagreen, Wikipedia.org]

Naughty or Nice

~ sproatmeyer ~ 13 Comments

I have exciting news to share that I will be the January Guest Designer for Club Anya & Friends! Along with that news it’s preview week for The Greeting Farm and I had fun making seek peaks starting with this stamp: Cheeky Cherry “NAUGHTY or NICE”! I’ve chosen to preview the nice side and set this little angel on a heavenly butterfly swing.


I started my blog with The Greeting Farm stamps and now I’m starting the year with them too – it’s such a pleasure to be on the team as a guest! So check back tomorrow for another preview and a chance to win an adorable Oliver & Amelia set!


DT Preview: The Greeting Farm – Preview Week
Challenge: Simon Says Stamp – Anything Goes
Challenge: Allsorts – Week 83 (Anything Goes)
Challenge: Die cut Dreams – Challenge #70 (Girlie)
Main Stamp: Cheeky Cheery Naughty or Nice (TGF) and Butterfly Swing (MiC)
Patterned Paper: Sweet Pea (TPS)
Metal Die: Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels Ten
Copic Colors:
-skin/eyes: E000, E00, E11, E13, R12, YG93, YG95
-hair: E40, E41, E42, E43, E44
-clothes/wings: E93, E95, E97, BG01, BG000, BG0000
-other: YR20, YR21, YR24, E93, E95, E97, BG01, BG000, BG0000

Did you know? The Lincoln cent (or penny) has been struck by the United States Mint since 1909. When the US entered into World War II in 1941, copper and tin, which were both used in the cent, were in short supply. Production of bronze cents was cut back drastically in July 1942, and was ceased in December. On December 18, 1942, Congress gave the mint authorization to change the composition of the cent for a three-year period, and five days later, it was announced that the coin would be made out of zinc-coated steel. After the war, the Treasury quietly retired as many steel cents as it could from circulation, while denying it was doing so—no public admission of the program was made until 1959. A few 1943 bronze cents and 1944 steel cents are known to exist, and are valuable. Only one 1943-D cent in bronze is known; it sold in September 2010 for $1.7 million.
[Lincoln Cent, Wikipedia.org]

Puppy with Present

~ sproatmeyer ~ 1 Comment

The cool blues next to the vibrant reds reminds of cold winter days and frosty windows. I made this card using Puppy with Present from The Stamping Bazaar designed by Marina Neira.


Challenge: The Corrosive Challenges #96 (Bling)
Challenge: Creative Belli Blog – Challenge #107 (Christmas)
Main Stamp: Puppy with Present (TSB)
Patterned Paper: In Winter Wonderland (Martha Stewart)
Metal Die: Spellbinders Nestabilities Large Scalloped Circle
Copic Colors:
-puppy: E40, E41, E42, E43, E44, E47, E49
-other: B000, B01, B32, B34, B37, C1, C3, R22, R24, R29, R59

Did you know? Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czechs worldwide. The language was known as Bohemian in English until the late 19th century. Czech is similar to and mutually intelligible with Slovak and, to a lesser extent, to Polish and Sorbian.
[Czech Language, Wikipedia.org]

Update: I was the winner for this challenge at the Creative Belli Blog!